Luke Littler makes history after beating Rob Cross to reach World Darts Championship final
Another wonderful victory for the 16-year-old at Ally Pally.
Luke Littler has booked his place in the World Darts Championship final after sealing a thrilling victory over Rob Cross.
The 16-year-old is now just one win away from becoming the tournament’s youngest ever champion with his astonishing run continuing at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday night.
Turning in another exhilarating performance, Littler ran riot against the former world champion to seal a 6-2 win, signing off in style with a treble 20 and double 10.
Luke Humphries or Scott Williams await in what will be an all-England final on Wednesday night.
Victory tonight already sees Littler write his name in history, becoming the youngest World Championship finalist in history after Kirk Shepherd, who was 21 when he reached the final in 2008.
Michael van Gerwen stands as the youngest ever champion, eight years older than Littler when he won his first title in 2014.
That record is now firmly in Littler’s sights with his fairytale continuing in the capital.
The 16-year-old had only played in four senior PDC matches prior to his World Championship debut but has rarely been troubled in his sublime march to the final, dropping just four sets prior to tonight’s match.
Littler has already beaten UK Open champion Andrew Gilding, sent five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld packing and eliminated Brendan Dolan after a thrilling quarter-final performance.
2018 champion Cross becomes his latest victim.
Littler’s previous opponents barely landed a glove on him in the lead-up to their final four showdown but found himself under pressure for the first time after dropping the opening set. The teenager recovered brilliantly, bouncing back in the second and taking the third before storming to victory.
‘There are no words. It is crazy. It is crazy to even think I am in the final on my debut,’ Littler told Sky Sports.
‘I was happy to win one game and now I can go all the way. It’s not easy. You are playing Rob, he is a world champion who won on debut. I’ve got no words.’
MORE : The story behind Luke Littler’s rapid rise to World Darts Championship stardom at 16 years old
MORE : Is Luke Littler the best player in the world? The 16-year-old says ‘no chance’
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