Luke Littler’s journey to the final of the World Darts Championship is the big story of the tournament. But the 16-year-old now has to deal with Luke Humphries, the officially best player in the world.
Even though Luke Littler’s conditions were already such that success in darts was inevitable for the 16-year-old before the World Cup tournament in the “Ally Pally”, it is difficult not to be amazed at how naturally he took part in the darts for the first time reached the final. “I am at a loss for words. It’s just crazy that I’m in the World Cup final on my debut“, Littler couldn’t really believe it in an interview with Sky Sports.
With Rob Cross the “wonder child” He clearly defeated a former champion 6:2. And his opponent clearly felt the need to bow deeply and stretch Littler’s arm in the air after the dart on double 10 that ended the match. Completely according to the motto: This is our new star.
“So far nothing has been difficult for me”
The school of his mentor and advisor Phil Taylor is obvious. Littler not only plays darts at a top level, but also understands how to play with the audience. If the fans a “High Finish” demand from him and he is clearly leading in one leg, he turns around during his recording and listens again demandingly to what is wanted from him. That’s part of the sport of darts, which depends so much on what happens in the spectator seats. Especially at the World Cup in “Ally Pally”.
| round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
1 round | Christian Kist (Netherlands) | 3-0 |
2nd round | Andrew Gilding (England) | 3:1 |
3rd round | Matt Campbell (Canada) | 4:1 |
Round of 16 | Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands) | 4:1 |
Quarterfinals | Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland) | 5:1 |
Semifinals | Rob Cross (England) | 6:2 |
Littler doesn’t do this because he was told to, but because it’s obviously his nature as a darts player. The most impressive part of his World Championship journey is how easily he plowed through the rounds. Littler, who had already become junior world champion in November, had to compete six times and had a clear victory six times. “I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but nothing has been difficult for me so far“, he said.
Pietreczko fans poked Humphries
That will almost certainly change in the finale. With Luke Humphries he meets the player who has earned by far the most prize money this season and, alongside last year’s winner Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen, was the big favorite for the title before the start of the World Cup. And he goes into the final in absolutely premium form.
| round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
2nd round | Lee Evans (England) | 3-0 |
3rd round | Ricardo Pietreczko (Germany) | 4:3 |
Round of 16 | Joe Cullen (England) | 4:3 |
Quarterfinals | Dave Chisnall (England) | 5:1 |
Semifinals | Scott Williams (England) | 6-0 |
Humphries had problems finding his way into this tournament and was already on the verge of elimination. Ricardo “Pikachu” Pietreczko had the Englishman on the verge of defeat in the third round, was already leading 3-1 sets and was able to end the game with one shot. However, Humphries, egged on by the Pietreczko fans who kept booing him during the concentration phase, managed to turn things around and then had problems against Joe Cullen in the round of 16, but then really got going.
Humphries the new number one in the world
The games against Dave Chisnall (5:1) and Scott Williams (6:0) were demonstrations of power. And they make the player who hits the arrows closer to each other into the triple 20 than anyone else the new best in his profession. Regardless of the outcome of the final on Wednesday (January 3, 2024, from 9 p.m. on “Sport1” and “DAZN”), Humphries, 28, is number one in the world rankings. It goes without saying that this means significantly less to him if he only holds this position as runner-up at the World Cup.
Based on this placement in the “Order of Merit”, the role of favorite is clear. Littler entered the tournament ranked 164th in the world and has now moved up to 31st – a quantum leap, but still a long way from Humphries, who was a “spectacle” announced. But this World Cup has shown: Littler has already arrived in the world class of darts and is certainly not an outsider in the final. Nevertheless, the question will be: Will the World Cup end with another fairy tale or the favorite’s victory?