Latest news with #LukeLittler
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Luke Littler requires stirring comeback to beat Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Littler dug himself out of a massive hole to stay alive in the World Matchplay with a tense 13-11 win over Jermaine Wattimena. Littler fell 4-0 and 7-2 behind but charged back into an 8-7 lead, the match then going to a tiebreaker before the teenager made it into the quarter-finals. Littler looked in ominous form with his crushing 10-2 win over Ryan Searle on Sunday but the tables were turned early on here. Wattimena meant business and stormed into a 4-0 lead that left heads spinning in the Winter Gardens. Littler took the next two but it was only a temporary reprieve as Wattimena rediscovered his rhythm, making it 7-2 with back-to-back 180s part of an 11-darter. When Littler pulled back the next leg he gestured to the crowd, pointing to the world champion's star on his shirt as he indicated he was not ready to go home yet. And he then set about showing it as he won six legs on the spin, the pressure clearly getting to Wattimena as his earlier poise vanished. The Dutchman recovered to level at 8-8, then punished a Littler miss for 9-9 as the contest went the distance. As it went to extra legs both players were missing their throws before Littler got the D10 he needed to end the fight. 'When I pointed to the star on my shirt, I'm a world champion for a reason, I find these gears when I need it,' Littler said on Sky Sports. 'I've not felt pressure like that since the first round of the world championship. I was a bit nervous and it's on to my third game here, I've won two of them. 'I want to get back on stage and right now I can't wait to be in the quarter-final.' Earlier Gerwyn Price stormed through with an 11-3 rout of Chris Dobey. Price left Dobey with little chance, averaging 108.73 and hitting eight 180s in a performance highlighted by a 146 finish that put him 3-0 up. 'It was fantastic,' the Welshman said. 'The middle part of the game I felt like I couldn't miss. I put Chris under a lot of pressure. I think he still played decent in patches. 'I think early on we were both flying and I was just pipping him on a couple of legs, probably disheartened him a little bit. It's a good game for me.' Former UK champion Andrew Gilding made it through to the last eight with an 11-5 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Luke Littler requires stirring comeback to beat Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Littler dug himself out of a massive hole to stay alive in the World Matchplay with a tense 13-11 win over Jermaine Wattimena. Littler fell 4-0 and 7-2 behind but charged back into an 8-7 lead, the match then going to a tiebreaker before the teenager made it into the quarter-finals. Littler looked in ominous form with his crushing 10-2 win over Ryan Searle on Sunday but the tables were turned early on here. Wattimena meant business and stormed into a 4-0 lead that left heads spinning in the Winter Gardens. Littler took the next two but it was only a temporary reprieve as Wattimena rediscovered his rhythm, making it 7-2 with back-to-back 180s part of an 11-darter. When Littler pulled back the next leg he gestured to the crowd, pointing to the world champion's star on his shirt as he indicated he was not ready to go home yet. And he then set about showing it as he won six legs on the spin, the pressure clearly getting to Wattimena as his earlier poise vanished. The Dutchman recovered to level at 8-8, then punished a Littler miss for 9-9 as the contest went the distance. As it went to extra legs both players were missing their throws before Littler got the D10 he needed to end the fight. 'When I pointed to the star on my shirt, I'm a world champion for a reason, I find these gears when I need it,' Littler said on Sky Sports. 'I've not felt pressure like that since the first round of the world championship. I was a bit nervous and it's on to my third game here, I've won two of them. 'I want to get back on stage and right now I can't wait to be in the quarter-final.' Earlier Gerwyn Price stormed through with an 11-3 rout of Chris Dobey. Price left Dobey with little chance, averaging 108.73 and hitting eight 180s in a performance highlighted by a 146 finish that put him 3-0 up. 'It was fantastic,' the Welshman said. 'The middle part of the game I felt like I couldn't miss. I put Chris under a lot of pressure. I think he still played decent in patches. 'I think early on we were both flying and I was just pipping him on a couple of legs, probably disheartened him a little bit. It's a good game for me.' Former UK champion Andrew Gilding made it through to the last eight with an 11-5 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The Sun
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Luke Littler stuns World Matchplay Darts with one of his greatest ever comebacks agaisnt Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Littler completed one of his finest EVER comebacks to book his place in the World Matchplay Darts quarter-finals. The world champion, 18, slipped to being 4-0 DOWN to Jermaine Wattimena with a total collapse at the beginning of their second round clash. 2 2 Wattimena, 37, is the highest ranked player in the world without a PDC title to his name. So knocking Littler out would have been a seismic shock, and one that looked very real when he restored his four-leg lead to go 7-3 ahead. Yet Littler - who crashed out in the opening round of the World Matchplay last year - had other ideas. He won four legs on the trot to restore the scores, and then stormed into the lead for the first time in the entire match to make the scores 8-7. Wattimena missed a crucial bullseye to make the scores 9-9, but Littler could not capitalise, and the Dutchman eventually levelled proceedings. In the first to 11 clash, players must win by two clear legs, so Littler needed to break his opponent's throw to seal victory - before sudden death should scores reach 13-13. Wattimena refused to make it easy for his opponent, however, restoring the scores to 10-10. With Littler making it 11-10, Wattimena HAD to hold his throw. And that he did. Littler finally broke Wattimena's throw with a double 20 to complete the epic comeback and book his place in round three. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
The Sun
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Sun
World Matchplay Darts 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Luke Littler wins absolute THRILLER, MVG on NOW, Price dominates
THE World Matchplay has arrived in Blackpool for nine thrilling nights of darts at the iconic Winter Gardens - and Luke Littler almost crashed out in an absolute thriller with Jermaine Wattimena! World champion Littler found himself 7-2 down at one point before mounting a truly remarkable comeback. The Machine Gun played his part, never giving in and pushing Littler to a 25th leg. Earlier, Gerwyn Price also romped into the quarters with a demolition job on Chris Dobey, where he averaged 108.73, while Michael van Gerwen ends the day five bill in a huge encounter with Josh Rock NOW. 19th Jul 2025, 18:00 By Laurence Ryan Luke out Luke Humphries is set to defend his crown TONIGHT! He faces off with world youth champions Gian Van Veen. Cool Hand has already had an excellent 2025, winning Premier League Darts over rival Luke Littler. He would love to add another World Matchplay title to the list. By Laurence Ryan Who is in action tonight? We have four thrilling clashes tonight. World No 1 and defending champion Luke Humphries is the biggest name of a stacked night. The full lineup tonight looks like this: 7:10pm - James Wade vs Joe Cullen 8pm - Danny Noppert vs Cameron Menzies 8:50pm - Luke Humphries vs Gian van Veen 9:30pm - Nathan Aspinall vs Wessel Nijman Timings are subject to change. 19th Jul 2025, 17:30 By Laurence Ryan Blackpool bonanza Welcome to SunSport's coverage of the World Matchplay Darts! We are bound for some excellent darting action over the next week, with the tournament set to run from July 19 to July 17 in Blackpool. Tonight will see Luke Humphries take to the oche to defend his title, with Luke Littler to wait until tomorrow. We can't wait for this one, so stay tuned for a HUGE week of darting action!
The Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
World Matchplay Darts 2025 LIVE RESULTS: Luke Littler ON NOW, Van Gerwen NEXT after Price flies through
THE World Matchplay has arrived in Blackpool for nine thrilling nights of darts at the iconic Winter Gardens - and Luke Littler is back to the oche NOW! World champion Littler returns to action in a tough test against Dutch cult hero Jermaine Wattimena. Gerwyn Price also romped into the quarters with a demolition job on Chris Dobey, where he averaged 108.73. Michael van Gerwen ends the day five bill in a huge encounter with Josh Rock. Follow our live blog below...
