Luke Littler struggled to hit top form but still did enough to advance to the last 16 of the World Championship with a 4-1 victory over Ian White at Alexandra Palace. The 17-year-old survived a series of errant doubles and had darts thrown at him in the first and fourth sets before finding his range when it came to sinking his veteran opponent.
Littler, who averaged just under 98 for the match, told Sky Sports: “It was tough, Ian threw everything at me and I had to stay on. It was just a matter of settling in. I know what’s wrong tonight – the double – but above all, I won.
The No.4 seed almost suffered an early shock when White missed a dart in the first set, before more unusual doubles allowed the 54-year-old to level the match at 1-1.
Littler seemed to have stirred when he concluded a much more impressive third set with a finish on the bull. But he handed White another set dart in the fourth, before taking the set in crucial fashion and continuing his victory.
Littler will face Ryan Joyce in the round of 16 after securing a crushing 4-3 victory over Ryan Searle in the final match of the afternoon session. At 3-2 in the deciding set, Searle missed a simple 20 to place a dart at the top that would have leveled the set at 3-3, and Joyce duly finished the job to earn his place in the fourth round for first. time since 2019.
Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen said he still had plenty to give after securing a 4-2 victory over last year’s quarter-finalist Brendan Dolan. Van Gerwen, seeking his first world title since 2019, charged through eight straight matches to take control of the match at 3-1, but fell somewhat over the line after losing a scrappy fifth set to the Irishman from Tenacious North.
“It was a really difficult game,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports. “Everyone knows Brendan doesn’t give up, and I tried to punish him at the right times and I couldn’t do it. After 1-1, I think I played some really good sets but I let it slip with a few things. There is still a lot of work to do, but I know I can do it.
Chris Dobey came from behind twice to beat Josh Rock 4-2 and move one victory away from his third consecutive world quarter-final.
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In the afternoon session, Nathan Aspinall issued a warning to his rivals after booking his place in the last 16 with a 4-0 victory over Andrew Gilding. The 33-year-old didn’t need to be in top form to beat his below-par opponent. Aspinall, a semi-finalist in 2019 and 2020, believes a clear improvement in one of the weaker parts of his game bodes well for the tougher tests he will face in the later stages.
“Normally I’m really bad at finishing, that’s why I lose,” Aspinall told Sky Sports. “But in the last two games I scored very well. I don’t care about averages and numbers – I’m in the bottom 16. Over the last six months I’ve been very flat when I play and I’ve made a conscious effort to light that fire in my stomach. . If I manage to score with this finish, I’m hard to beat.
Aspinall will face Ricardo Pietreczko in the fourth round after the German brushed aside Scott Williams 4-1, wrapping up his win with an impressive 121 checkout.
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