Luke Littler’s hunt for a second consecutive Premier League Darts win goes on after he despatched close friend Nathan Aspinall 6-4 in their semi-final in Manchester.
In a quasi-derby between the two players, the teenage sensation was the picture of confidence after breaking Aspinall – who he defeated in their final in Belfast last week – to claim a 2-1 leg lead thanks to a maximum, and a 131 checkout with two double tops.
Littler then went 4-2 up after starting off with a bullseye before breaking Aspinall to put him in striking distance of the final.
Aspinall battled back to reduce Littler’s lead, but a strong last leg with a final double 10 saw him book a spot in the final, where he will face either Gerwyn Price or Michael Smith.
Before bypassing Aspinall, Littler breezed past a shaky Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-finals at the AO Arena.
Luke Littler is hunting his second consecutive Premier League Darts win after despatching Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall on Thursday night
The darts sensation beat last week’s opponent Nathan Aspinall 6-4 at the AO Arena
Littler made the faster start past a wobbly Van Gerwen to claim the first leg, but neither player looked confident in the initial stages.
But the teenager was first to settle, and went on to take the next two legs before the titleholder got his first leg on the board.
Van Gerwen yanked the match back under his control with a commanding maximum before sealing an 11-dart break for his second leg, before levelling the score just minutes after his opponent looked to be romping away with the tie.
Stopping his run after Van Gerwen missed out on finding the bullseye for a 167, a final double 10 from Littler handed him a fourth leg and set up an ice cold break in the fifth to put himself in the driving seat, and sweep his more experienced rival aside.
The 17-year-old Manchester United fan is keen to win at his home night in Manchester
Michael van Gerwen was able to claw his way back to terms but his shaky form saw Littler sweep away victory
Ahead of his first match, avowed Manchester United fan Littler said that he was keen to claim a second win at his de facto home ground.
‘Winning in Belfast gave me a lot of confidence, and it certainly showed that practice does pay off,’ the Runcorn native said.
‘I’m not far from Manchester myself and I’m a Manchester United fan so it would mean the world to win in front of this crowd. I know it will be tough.’
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