Ryan Joyce is bidding to cause an upset when he takes on teenage superstar Luke Littler for a place in the Paddy Power World Darts Championship quarter-finals on Monday.
The 39-year-old got the better of Ryan Searle in the third round to set up this enticing encounter, defying a ton-plus average from the Somerset star in the process.
Littler has displayed glimpses of his blistering best in his opening two games, but having also shown some signs of fallibility, Joyce will be aiming to exploit that when they go head-to-head this evening.
Nicknamed ‘Relentless’, Joyce’s accuracy on the outer ring was the catalyst for victory against Searle, where he boasted a superb 62% conversion rate on the doubles.
Having taken out a stunning 113 finish to move ahead in a seventh-set tie-break, Joyce then nailed double 18 to wrap up an entertaining affair with a 13-darter.
“I was just very pleased to get through, and I was very happy with my finishing,” reflected Joyce, who also dumped out Dutch number two Danny Noppert in round two.
“I always talk about my finishing, so it was nice to back it up and produce it on the stage.
“It felt like Ryan’s scoring hit a new level, the level he’s capable of.
“I had to change something, and I just made a slight change in the throw, a slight change in rhythm.”
Joyce has never made it past the quarter-final stage of the World Championship, but with a host of seeds already tumbling out, he may fancy his chances to better that record this year.
The Newcastle thrower reached the last eight on debut in 2019, but a lot has changed since then, not just in Joyce’s game, but his mentality as well.
“I am a different player to what I was back then, definitely,” Joyce revealed, referring to his debut on the stage six years ago.
“It’s nice to produce those battling performances, getting close to 100 averages every time I play now,
“I didn’t feel like I was under pressure, and that’s a big difference to five or six years ago.
“That’s where I want to be. So hopefully it is the start of some more consistency, and a stronger mental presence on the stage.
“I’m very happy, and I’m looking forward to the next game.”
2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Monday December 30
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x Fourth Round
Stephen Bunting v Luke Woodhouse
Michael van Gerwen v Jeffrey de Graaf
Luke Littler v Ryan Joyce
All matches best of seven sets
