- Luke Littler crushed Jermaine Wattimena 16-2 in what was a record-breaking win
- Littler, 17, will take on Gary Anderson in Sunday’s Grand Slam of Darts semi-final
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Luke Littler continued his meteoric rise to the summit of darts on Saturday as he cruised past his rival Jermaine Wattimena to book a place in the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals.
The 17-year-old darts star smashed Wattimena 16-2 to record the biggest ever last eight win in the tournament’s history, thrilling the crowd with an average of 105.11 and landing four ton finishes, including massive checkouts of 164 and 167.
It took Littler just 28 minutes to seal victory against the Dutchman, and the teenager will be delighted that he is building momentum ahead of the climax of Grand Slam of Darts — and also the eagerly-anticipated World Championships next month.
After the comprehensive win, Littler admitted he is brimming with confidence and basking in the crowd’s exhilaration when he steps up to the oche.
‘I felt very confident coming into tonight,’ he said. ‘I played so well. I’m so happy.
‘Fair play to Jermaine. I was too good tonight. When you’re playing that good you feel [a nine-darter] coming every time.
Luke Littler smashed an impressive Grand Slam of Darts record with his 16-2 win on Saturday
Littler thumped Jermaine Wattimena (above) to book his place in the tournament’s semi-finals
The teenager admitted he was ‘too good tonight’ as he continued his meteoric rise in the sport
Gary Anderson, Littler’s semi-final opponent, admitted he was ‘fantastic’ in the 16-2 victory
‘Every time I go for a 180 the crowd expects it. As a player you do feel it coming and hopefully it does come.’
Speaking on his ever-growing world ranking, which now sits at 16, Littler added: ‘It just goes to show how well I’ve played in the ranking tournaments.
‘I’ve got myself in the top 16 now. I’ve looked ahead and if I win this competition I go to number five. I’m just looking at the semi-final tomorrow.’
Littler will face Gary Anderson in the last four on Sunday.
Anderson, who admitted the teenager was ‘fantastic’ against Wattimena, joked that he has a mischievous — and somewhat bizarre — plan to thwart Littler.
He said: ‘I watched the [Littler] game. It was fantastic, wasn’t it?
‘We were sitting upstairs watching it. Luke was tonight, different gravy. I might just give him a hard kick in the shins before I come on.’
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