Luke Littler will kick off his PDC World Darts Championship campaign against fellow Englishman Ryan Meikle.
Meikle overcame women’s megastar Fallon Sherrock 3-2 in the first round to deny what would have been an incredibly high-profile second round bout.
Meikle, the Ipswich-born world no.62, beat the ‘Queen of the Palace’ in a tight match after dealing with early boos due to her much-loved status.
That means he will face 17-year-old sensation Littler on Saturday December 21 in the second round at Alexandra Palace.
Littler is yet to play at the tournament as his world no.4 status earns him a buy into the second round among the 32 top-ranked players.
The match is scheduled to take place at 7pm, where Littler will look to go all the way to the final once again.
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In last year’s edition he stunned the world at the age of 16, becoming the youngest-ever player to reach the final.
There he lost 7-4 to world no.1 Luke Humphries, but his star did not fade in the slightest.
Littler would prove his debut that fascinated the UK and Europe was anything but flash in the pan with a stellar 2024.
He would win three PDC premier events – the Grand Slam, the Premier League and the World Series Finals.
Along the way he’s pocketed close to £1million in prize money and become a household name in the UK in record time.
The Palace will welcome back the new ‘face of darts’ on Saturday, and his match will be broadcast live on talkSPORT.
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Should Littler progress against Meikle, he could then meet his first seeded opponent in the shape of Ritchie Edhouse in the third round.
Littler may not have been completely aware of the match, though, given that he was present for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony.
The darts sensation just missed out on another award, finishing second behind athlete Keely Hodgkinson.
Hodgkinson took gold at the Paris Olympics in the 800metres having won silver at two World Championships and the last Olympics.
Behind Littler was England cricketer Joe Root in third. Sarah Storey, Alex Yee and Jude Bellingham were also shortlisted for the award.
