World champion Luke Littler has declared he is feeling no pressure whatsoever following a disappointing start to his Premier League Darts campaign last week. The 19-year-old sensation was defeated on night one in Newcastle by debutant Gian van Veen, who secured a measure of revenge for his heavy loss in the World Championship final back in January.
A Challenging Start and a Formidable Rivalry
The task does not get any easier for Littler as he prepares to face Luke Humphries in the opening match in Antwerp on Thursday. The pair have developed a fierce and compelling rivalry over the last two years, clashing nine times in last season's tournament alone. Littler most recently triumphed over Humphries in the World Masters final at the beginning of the month, a victory that prompted Humphries to label him "the greatest dart player to ever live."
Littler's Calm Perspective
Littler was scheduled to address the media on Wednesday afternoon, but the press conference was abruptly cancelled without explanation. However, in a brief interview with Sky Sports, the young champion shared his composed outlook. "Every stage is different in my opinion," Littler stated. "I'm not under any pressure and I don't need to put pressure on myself. I know I lost to Gian on night one, but last year I lost to Michael van Gerwen as well. There's still 15 weeks left, so as long as I get into the top four, that's all that matters."
Van Veen's Confidence Boost
For his part, Gian van Veen believes that ending his losing streak against Littler last week will be crucial for his own campaign. The Dutchman suffered a comprehensive defeat in the Alexandra Palace final in January and then lost again to Littler at the Saudi Arabia Masters later that month. However, he managed to overcome Littler in his Premier League debut before ultimately falling to Van Gerwen in the final.
Van Veen emphasised the psychological importance of the victory. "I think the most important part is to win your first game, especially playing in this for the first time," he said. "It's something you don't want to do, spend three, four weeks not winning any games, and then it starts getting to you. So I think that was the most important part. But also to get one over Littler. I said it last week as well. Luke Littler is not someone you want to lose five or six matches in a row against, because then next time he will be 2-0 up against you already. So you need to bite back at him a couple of times. That's what I did last week. So I think that's going to help my campaign for the coming weeks as well."
Quarter-Final Line-Up
The action continues with a compelling quarter-final schedule. Van Veen will take on Gerwyn Price, while Michael van Gerwen faces Josh Rock. The line-up is completed by the match between Jonny Clayton and Stephen Bunting, setting the stage for another thrilling night of darts.
