World champion Luke Littler demonstrated his champion's mentality, rallying from an early deficit to secure a place in the Players Championship Finals quarter-finals in Minehead.
Littler's Minehead Momentum Builds
The world number one, who recently reclaimed the top ranking spot after his Grand Slam of Darts victory last week, found himself trailing Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko 3-1 in their evening match. However, the 18-year-old phenom quickly regained control of the contest.
Littler's comeback was highlighted by a spectacular 121 finish that required two bullseyes, pushing him to an 8-5 advantage before eventually closing out the 10-6 victory. Despite his slow beginning, the teenager maintained an impressive match average of 102 - identical to his performance during his afternoon win against Ross Smith.
Chasing That Elusive Title
Speaking to ITV4 after his victory, Littler acknowledged areas for improvement while expressing his determination to claim a trophy that has so far eluded him. "Obviously I am never happy when I am losing, at 3-2 down I then got it back to 5-all and I just had to kick on there," Littler explained.
"I knew there were no more breaks, we were on (stage) until the end and I managed to get the job done. I was not the best on my doubles tonight, but I can sharpen up on them again tomorrow afternoon." The darts prodigy added with clear intent: "This is one (title) I have not won, everyone does know that. I am definitely chasing for it tomorrow."
Quarter-Final Lineup Takes Shape
Littler wasn't the only big name to progress on Saturday. Top seed Gerwyn Price, who earned his position through dominant performances across 34 Players Championship events this year, defeated Martin Schindler 10-6 to book his spot in Sunday's final stages.
Other notable results saw Nathan Aspinall edge out Danny Noppert 10-8 in a match where both players hit six 180s. James Wade continued his strong form with a 10-6 victory over Andrew Gilding, while Daryl Gurney secured a last-leg decider against Adam Lipscombe to set up a quarter-final clash with Price.
Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena also made history, reaching the tournament quarter-finals for the first time after battling past Ryan Searle 10-8. The competition at Butlin's Minehead resort continues through Sunday until a champion is crowned.
