World darts champion Luke Littler is gearing up for a high-stakes tactical duel at the Alexandra Palace, as he prepares to face the notoriously slow-playing Mensur Suljovic in the third round of the World Darts Championship.
The Stage is Set for a Tactical Battle
The teenage sensation, who is currently the world number one, secured his place with a commanding 3-0 whitewash of David Davies. His next opponent, Austrian veteran Suljovic, booked the showdown with a 3-1 win over Joe Cullen in a match marred by controversy on Sunday 22 December 2024.
That second-round encounter saw an angry Cullen accuse Suljovic of "cheating" due to his deliberate, grinding pace on the oche—a tactic the Austrian is famous for and one he is expected to deploy even more heavily against the rapid-fire Littler.
Littler's Pragmatic Approach to the 'Dark Arts'
Despite typically preferring to face faster opponents, the 17-year-old phenom appears unflustered by the impending mind games. Littler acknowledged the unique challenge, stating he must simply confront what is in front of him.
"There was a lot of talk about Mensur throwing slow. I’ve just got to be ready for it and see what happens," Littler said. He explained the physical difficulty for quick players, noting, "You don’t want to be stood there for as long. Because you’re getting cold and you just want to get on with it."
However, he dismissed Cullen's accusation of foul play. "It’s not cheating," Littler clarified. "It’s just for Mensur, obviously he flicks his flight and obviously he’s doing it until he feels settled. And if he does it, obviously, a bit longer against me, then I just have to wait for him and throw my darts."
A Predicted Showdown and the Quest for Victory
Littler revealed that Suljovic had foreseen this exact third-round match-up, sending the young star a message on Instagram back in November. "He said something like, ‘kind regards, good luck, see you in round three’ or something," Littler recounted. "And yeah, it’s happened and like I said, hopefully we can have a good game."
The champion remains respectful but resolute about his opponent's methods and his own goal. "But, if you start off darts slow like Mensur, he’s not going to change for anyone. He’s not going to change for me. He’s just going to do his job and he wants to win. I want to win."
As the darts world watches, the match promises to be a fascinating contrast in styles, testing Littler's composure as much as his darting skill against one of the sport's most unique and disruptive competitors.
