3 days Ago By [email protected] (James Quinlan)
Luke Littler advances to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championships quarter-finals after beating Ryan Joyce 4-3 on sets Luke Littler says he went into 'tenth gear' in order to overcome 'Relentless' Ryan Joyce at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championships on Monday night. Also revealing what he immediately said to his opponent, the teenager is through to the quarter-finals. An intense battle was eventually won by Littler at Alexandra Palace.
The Runcorn-born 17-year-old witnessed Joyce bounce back from set defeats not once, not twice but three times, before being pushed one final time to take the final set at 4-3. "I think I went into tenth gear at one point and I had to! I just said to Ryan ‘I thought you didn’t have your power scoring with you.’ He hit everything at me!" That was the message the teenage sensation had for his world-ranked No.
33 opponent after their match concluded, as he told Sky Sports. After the fourth set in which 'Relentless' levelled the match at 2-2, Littler was also visibly frustrated. Shaking his head, muttering to himself, he stormed down the steps to take a quick break before the fifth set, and would explain he felt that lost set was avoidable.
Littler continued: "I just break Ryan in the first set, he comes and hits me back with it. We come on for the break, I break him, go 2-1 up then it’s 2-2. But if I hold my own set then, it would have been over and done with, but I’ve got to dig deep.
"I just wanted him to miss! I’ve seen then 48 percent [checkout average] from Ryan, I had 35 percent again. But, I had a lot of chances on the doubles whilst Ryan weren’t close. I’m happy to win.
" "I wouldn’t say I was nervous, it was just more adrenaline. I just knew in that last leg hold your own for once in the game at least. Double 12, shows I can hit it!" As mentioned, the favourite to win the tournament from the offset is now through to the final eight competitors.
In the next round of darts on New Years' Day he is set to take on 'The Asp', Nathan Aspinall. Other quarter-final fixtures will be contested between Peter Wright and St. Helens ' Stephen Bunting, Chris Dobey and Gerwyn Price then lastly Michael van Gerwen and Callan Rydz.
One notable absentee from that list is reigning champion Luke Humphries, who was eliminated on Sunday night by Wright..
