Luke Littler survived a thrilling match against Ryan Joyce at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace with a tense 4-3 win to reach the quarter-finals.
The 17-year-old will be looking to build on his impressive runner-up finish on his debut in the tournament last year, having never trailed but was repeatedly cornered by his unseeded opponents. He was pushed to his limits.
Littler struggled to finish throughout and missed a chance to seal the victory in the sixth set, but eventually overcame Joyce’s tenacity and won the deciding match 3-1.
Littler, the highest-seeded player remaining in the tournament after the sudden exit of defending champion Luke Humphries, will face 12th-seeded Nathan Aspinall in the last eight.
“I just wanted him to miss,” Littler said. “We had a lot of chances in doubles while Ryan fell short, but I’m glad we won.”
Early indications were that Littler could blow away Joyce, firing four perfect darts to start the match and setting up a throwing break in the opener. Joyce came in with 12 darters of his own, but Littler was shutout 3-1.
Joyce tied the score in a bizarre second set with all five legs going against the throw, and Littler struggled to convert his two tries, a trend that continued throughout the match.
Littler emerged from the break and produced an impressive third set, averaging 108.22 points and taking the lead 3-1, despite continuing to struggle in doubles.
Ally Pally’s nerves were high as Joyce kept her pre-match promise to take her chances in doubles and took the fourth set 3-1. At that stage of the match, Joyce converted eight of his 15 chances, while Littler converted just nine of his 29.
Joyce’s doubles excellence finally faltered in the fifth set when he conceded a break to Littler, who seemed to be settling in as he closed out the set with his first shot on double top.
But Joyce refused to lie down and hit 13 darters to break in the first leg of the sixth set, then held on at 2-0.
Down 2-2, Littler made another double top shot in the game, but this time he missed and was penalized as Joyce hit double 16 for the winning goal.
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Ryan Joyce tries to put pressure on Luke Littler, winning the second set and tying the match level
Under pressure, Littler threw back-to-back 180s to start the deciding opportunity, and although his nine darters didn’t send the crowd into a tailspin, he shut them down and got the decisive break.
He backed it up with a 13-dart hold and while Joyce regained the leg with his own throw, Little sealed the 14-dart leg with a double 12 to seal the match with relative ease.
“I can’t say I was nervous,” Littler said. “The adrenaline was pumping. I told myself on the last leg to hang in there and I did it with a double 12. That shows I can hit it.”
MVG ‘wins here’ after impressive win over De Graff
Michael van Gerwen continued his quest for a fourth world title with a 4-2 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf.
Van Gerwen got off to a great start and looked to be heading for victory after winning the first two sets, but De Graaf rallied from the break and rallied to mount a comeback.
The unseeded Swede, who knocked out former champion Gary Anderson in the second round, dominated the third set and took the fourth to level the score and put the pressure on Van Gerwen.
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Michael Gerwen roars passionately after defeating Geoffrey de Graaf 4-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Darts Championship
The Dutchman responded like a champion and raised his level again to take the fifth set 3-0 for an average of nearly 105.
Taking the first leg of the sixth set with a match-high 126 checkout, Van Gerwen took advantage of de Graaf’s decline in quality to break and seal the match.
Although he missed his first three darts, he ultimately finished the job with a double three, clinching his 11th career quarterfinal appearance in the tournament.
“When you’re playing well you don’t panic. As you can see I didn’t panic at all,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports Darts after finishing the match with an average of 101.98 points. Ta.
“If you stay focused and keep believing in your abilities, anything is possible. I’m not here for fun. I’m here to win tournaments, and we all know that. ”
Woodhouse hitter advances to top 8 with bunt
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Stephen Bunting won all three legs against Luke Woodhouse, taking the first set and clinching the final leg with an impressive 121 finish
Stephen Bunting reached the quarter-finals with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Luke Woodhouse in the first game of the evening session.
The eighth seed broke Woodhouse twice in the first set with shocking walk-ons before bursting out of the blocks and sending Woodhouse to zero with a 121 checkout, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
His average remained above 100 after winning the second set 3-1, and although his level dropped slightly thereafter, the hapless Woodhouse never threatened to win a set, let alone a match.
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Stephen Bunting has said he wants to parade the 2025 World Darts Championship trophy around Anfield… especially as the current league leaders face Manchester United in their next match, live on Sky Sports. I want you to broadcast it!
Bunting’s last eight opponent will be two-time champion Peter Wright after stunning defending champion Luke Humphries with a ‘snake bite’ on Sunday.
“We’re hoping Peter Wright, who was at Luke yesterday, will turn up,” Bunting told Sky Sports Darts. “I’m really looking forward to it and like I said, we can win anything in front of these fans.”
What’s next?
Matches will resume on New Year’s Day, with two quarter-finals each in Wednesday’s two sessions.
In the afternoon session, Chris Dobie takes on 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, followed by three-time champion Michael van Gerwen taking on Callan Rhys.
A great evening session begins with two-time champion Peter Wright taking on Stephen Bunting, followed by Luke Littler taking on Nathan Aspinall.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel until January 3rd. Stream darts and other top sports now.
