Luke Littler stands on the cusp of darting history after powering into his third consecutive World Darts Championship final, setting up a showdown with Dutch rival Gian van Veen.
A rare flash of frustration
The reigning champion secured his place in Sunday's showpiece with a commanding 6-1 victory over Ryan 'Heavy Metal' Searle in Friday's semi-final at Alexandra Palace. However, the match began with a surprising stumble that provoked a visible reaction from the usually unflappable 18-year-old.
For the first time in the entire tournament, Littler lost the opening set, going down 3-2 to Searle. Sky Sports cameras captured the moment Littler appeared to mouth an expletive in frustration as he left the stage after the initial setback, despite having thrown a higher average of 105.00 to Searle's 94.50 in that set.
'The Nuke' launches devastating response
Any hopes Searle had of causing an upset were swiftly extinguished after the interval. Littler, nicknamed 'The Nuke', immediately clicked into top gear, winning the second set 3-1 with another three-figure average.
The match then became a one-sided exhibition of power scoring. Littler raced into a 3-1 lead, delivering a crushing blow to Searle who had not trailed at any point earlier in the championship. The fourth set was sealed with a scorching 110.0 average.
The procession continued, and with the score at 5-1, Littler brought a rapturous Alexandra Palace crowd to its feet by hitting the iconic 'big fish' – a spectacular 170 checkout – to emphatically book his final spot.
History awaits in Sunday's final
Speaking after his win, Littler acknowledged the significance of reaching a third straight final but made clear his sole ambition. "It feels good to reach the final, I've joined another short list of names of players who have had back-to-back-to-back finals," he said.
"Now, the only goal is to join the list of people who are back-to-back World Champions." A victory would make him the first player to retain the Sid Waddell trophy since Gary Anderson achieved the feat in 2015 and 2016.
Littler was respectful of his final opponent, Gian van Veen, whom he knows well from their battles on the Development and Pro Tours. "He is in absolute freedom, he's now in the top four of the world - I don't think he has much to lose," Littler added.
The stakes could not be higher, with this year's champion set to pocket a record-breaking £1 million prize. The stage is now set for a monumental clash as Littler aims to cement his status as the sport's dominant force.
