World champion Luke Littler goes into the upcoming World Masters aiming to win the event for the primary time after a quarter-final exit final yr.
Luke Littler celebrating on the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters (Picture: Getty)
Luke Littler’s dominance of darts at a younger age has put a goal on {the teenager}’s again, and rival Jonny Clayton is eager to do one thing about it. Clayton has been as impressed as anybody else by Littler’s rise however is aware of his personal success will depend on getting the higher of the two-time world champion. Clayton is among the gamers standing in Littler’s approach on the upcoming PDC World Masters. The event is one which Littler has but to win – a rarity in itself – with Clayton eliminating him on the quarter-final stage final yr.
Littler claimed a number of victories on the tour final yr after kicking off 2025 together with his maiden World Championship win. He defended his Grand Slam of Darts title whereas additionally popping out on prime within the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix. The brand new calendar yr started with The Nuke defeating Gian van Veen to retain his world title, and there’s virtually a way that it’s Littler in opposition to the sphere. Nonetheless, Clayton doesn’t begrudge him any of that success.
In an interview with Oche180 forward of the event, Clayton was requested if Littler’s failure to win the Masters prior to now makes him extra harmful this yr. “I believe so, however when isn’t Luke Littler harmful?” the Welshman replied.
“He’s a fanatic to darts. He’s a fantastic participant, he’s bought angle, his darts are unbelievable. He’s positively the participant that all of us need to knock off the spot. We have to put him down a peg or two but it surely’s so troublesome to try this, the best way he’s taking part in.
Humphries raced right into a 5-2 lead within the best-of-11 closing, just for Clayton to drag it again to 5-5 earlier than dropping the decider. “When it went to 5-5, I am not a adverse individual, however I believed the sport might need gone for me there,” Humphries admitted after his win.
The preliminary rounds for this yr’s Masters had been accomplished on Wednesday, with English gamers Connor Scutt and James Hurrell among the many qualifiers, whereas Clayton will start his marketing campaign in opposition to one other qualifier, Dutch star Wessel Nijman. Littler is the highest seed within the event and faces Mike De Decker of Belgium within the opening spherical, with one other Littler-Clayton encounter solely attainable if the pair each attain the semi-finals.
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