Darts teenager Luke Littler became the youngest player in history to reach the World Cup final and is on the verge of becoming a sports sensation. The 16-year-old Englishman clearly won his semi-final against compatriot Rob Cross 6-2 on Tuesday evening and can hope for a coronation and a winner’s check of 500,000 pounds (almost 600,000 euros) on Wednesday (9 p.m./DAZN and Sport1). The opponent in the final is compatriot and top favorite Luke Humphries.
Humphries won his semi-final impressively 6-0 against Scott Williams.
“I have no words. It’s just crazy that I’m in the final of my first World Cup,” said Littler on Sky Sports. In contrast to his previous confident victories, he had to accept real resistance for the first time at the tournament in London – at least a little. By the quarterfinals he had only lost four sets in five games.
Cross, who won the title in 2018 in the final against legend Phil Taylor, played well, but another comeback like in the quarter-finals (5:4 after 0:4 against Chris Dobey) was far away this time. Cross was already the second world champion after Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands), who was defeated by the young Englishman at this tournament.
After another fantastic performance – including 16 shots with 180 points – additional doors are opening for World Championship debutant Littler at the PDC world association. The youngster nicknamed “The Nuke” moves into the top 32 of the rankings. He is now also a candidate for the important Premier League, whose eight starters are to be announced this Thursday.
Meanwhile, Luke Humphries takes over number one in the darts world rankings for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old Englishman, nicknamed Cool Hand Luke, will top the ranking, which has been recorded over two years, starting this Thursday. The Englishman overtakes the previous leader Michael Smith (also England) and the Dutchman Michael van Gerwen.
In Wednesday’s World Cup final against teenage sensation Luke Littler, Humphries has the chance to extend his lead by another £300,000. Humphries is extremely far ahead of all other top players in the 2023 annual ranking. Before the World Cup, he won the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals one after the other. He was considered the World Cup favorite because of his strong form and his outstanding preliminary results.
2024-01-02 23:01:34
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