The exceptional English talent Luke Littler stormed into the round of 16 of the Darts World Cup with another brilliant performance.
The 16-year-old left nothing to be desired on Wednesday when he won 4-1 in sets against the hopeless Canadian Matt Campbell.
Defending champion Michael Smith and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen also had no problems in their third round matches.
Littler impressed with eight 180 shots and an average of 97.19 points, he secured the first two sets to zero. With its strong performances and youthful nature, “The Nuke” has quickly become an audience favorite at Alexandra Palace.
Only Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price are traded higher by bookmakers.
In addition, the junior world champion is now the youngest round of 16 in World Cup history. The teenager already has 35,000 pounds (around 40,000 euros). For Christmas, Littler gave himself new sneakers. In the round of the last 16 there could now be a generational duel with the Dutch veteran Raymond van Barneveld.
Darts World Cup 2024: Van Gerwen merciless, Smith annoyed
Van Gerwen lived up to his favorite position in the 4-0 win over his Dutch compatriot Richard Veenstra with an average of 101.39 points, and he hardly showed any weaknesses when it came to double faults (63 percent). In total, the world number two only lost four legs. Van Gerwen could now meet Florian Hempel in the round of 16, who is fighting to advance against Englishman Stephen Bunting on Thursday (1.40 p.m./Sport1 and DAZN).
Defending champion Smith had significantly more problems in the 4-1 win against Latvia Madars Razma. The “Bully Boy” repeatedly shook his head after his recordings, appeared annoyed by Razma’s slow play, but then held his nerve in the crucial moments.
In the round of the best 16, Smith will now face an English compatriot in the afternoon session on New Year’s Day – the winner of the match Ross Smith against Chris Dobey.
German duo eliminated from Darts World Cup
Co-favorite Rob Cross had already confidently reached the round of 16 in the afternoon. The 2018 world champion won 4-2 sets against the rebellious Swede Jeffrey de Graaf. Cross, ranked eighth in the world rankings, will now face the Welshman Jonny Clayton, number nine on the seeding list, or Krzysztof Ratajski (No. 24) from Poland on Friday.
Over the course of the game, Cross repeatedly countered the strong moments of Dutch-born de Graaf. In the sixth set, “Voltage” got the break he needed and then made no mistakes on his own throw. Overall, he averaged 101.32 points.
The Germans Martin Schindler (3:4 against Scott Williams) and Gabriel Clemens (1:4 against Dave Chisnall) had already been eliminated in the afternoon session.