Luke Littler advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship with a 4-3 win at Alexandra Palace after a thrilling match against Ryan Joyce.
The 17-year-old, trying to go one better than his notable runner-up finish on his tournament debut last year, never trailed but was repeatedly blocked and pushed to the limit by his unseeded opponents.
Littler, who missed the chance to seal victory in the sixth set after struggling to close out the first half, finally overcame the resilience of Joyce to take the decider 3-1.
Littler, who remains the highest seed in the tournament following the surprise exit of defending champion Luke Humphries, will face 12th seed Nathan Aspinall in the last eight.
“I just hoped I would miss him.” Littler said. “I had a lot of chances in the doubles while Ryan wasn’t close, but I’m glad I got the win.”
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Luke Littler shot 68 to take a crucial 3-2 lead over Ryan Joyce.
Early indications were that Littler could blast off Joyce, with four perfect darts to start the match setting up a throw break in the opener. Joyce got on the board with a 12-darter of her own, but Littler closed it out 3-1.
Joyce drew level in a strange second set with all five legs against throws, while Littler struggled to convert a double attempt in a trend that continued throughout the match.
Littler emerged from the break and produced a superb third set, taking the score to 3-1 at an average of 108.22 despite continuing to struggle in doubles.
Ally Pally’s nerves rose further as Joyce kept her pre-match promise to take the fourth set 3-1 and take the doubles opportunity for herself. At that stage of the game, Joyce had made eight of her 15 chances while Littler had made just nine of her 29 chances.
Joyce’s excellence in doubles finally faltered in the fifth set when he offered a break to Littler, who seemed complacent as he closed the set with his first shot at the double top.
However, Joyce refused to lie down and maintained a 2-0 lead by scoring 13 darters in the first half of the sixth set.
Littler came from behind to make it 2-2 and got a shot at the double top again in the match, but this time he missed and was punished as Joyce brought out double 16 to force a decider.
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Ryan Joyce leveled the match by winning the second set to put the pressure on Luke Littler.
With the pressure mounting, Littler threw back-to-back 180s to start the decider and was unable to send the crowd into chaos with a nine-darter, but closed it out to get the deciding break.
He backed this up with 13 darts and although Joyce got leg back with a throw of his own, Little sealed the match relatively comfortably with a double 12 to seal a 14-dart leg.
“I can’t say I was nervous.” Littler recalled. “It was adrenaline. I knew the last leg I told myself to hold my own and I did it on that double 12. It shows I can hit it.”
MVG ‘Win here’ after impressive win over De Graff
Michael van Gerwen continued his quest for a fourth world title with a 4-2 win over Jeffrey de Graaf.
Van Gerwen started brilliantly and appeared to be cruising to victory after taking the first two sets, but De Graaf came on from the break and mounted an encouraging 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 match and put the pressure on Van Gerwen.
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Michael Gerwen celebrated with enthusiasm after beating Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Darts Championship.
The Dutchman got a response from the champion and raised his level once again, taking the fifth set 3-0 with an average of close to 105.
A match-high 126 checkout followed to take the opening leg of the sixth set before Van Gerwen took advantage of De Graaf’s poor quality to close the match.
He missed his first three match darts, before finally getting the job done in a double three to secure his 11th career quarter-final berth in the tournament.
“When I play well, I don’t panic. You’ve seen that I don’t panic at all,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports Darts after finishing with an average of 101.98.
“Anything is possible if I stay focused and keep believing in my own abilities. I’m not here to have fun, I’m here to win tournaments and we all know that.”
Bunting hitter Woodhouse advances to quarterfinals
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Stephen Bunting took the first set against Luke Woodhouse, winning all three legs and clinching the final leg with an impressive 121.
Stephen Bunting advanced to the quarter-finals with a dominant 4-0 win over Luke Woodhouse in the opening match of the evening session.
The eighth seed flew out of the blocks after a thrilling walk-on, beating Woodhouse twice in the opening set, before sealing the match at nil with a 121 checkout to send the crowd into a frenzy.
His average remained above 100 after taking the second set 3-1, and although his level dropped slightly thereafter, the hapless Woodhouse never threatened to take the set, let alone the 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 play Manchester United in their next game, live on Sky Sports!
Bunting’s opponent in the last quarter-finals will be two-time champion Peter Wright after ‘Snakebite’ stunned defending champion Luke Humphries on Sunday.
“I expect Peter Wright, who played against Luke yesterday, to feature,” Bunting told Sky Sports Darts. “I’m really excited. Like I said, we can win anything in front of these fans.”
What’s next?
The action resumes on New Year’s Day, with two quarter-finals played in each of Wednesday’s two sessions.
The afternoon session sees Chris Dobey take on 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, while three-time winner Michael van Gerwen takes on Callan Rydz.
What promises to be 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 until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and other top sports with NOW.
