Luke Littler has revealed Mensur Suljovic’s cheeky pre-tournament predictions after securing his place in the third round.
Littler went through a battle with David Davies and the 3-0 score did not really reflect the Welshman’s strong performance.
But Littler stepped up his level to the post-Christmas stage and showed why he is world number one and reigning champion.
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Mensur Suljovic beat Joe Cullen in the second round of the World Championship and Rockstar wasn’t happy with the Austrian.
Meanwhile, Suljovic faced stiff competition against Joe Cullen. Suljovic came from a set down to win 3-1 and the ‘Rockstar’ was furious at the Austrian’s on-stage behavior and slow play, even forcing referee Kirk Bevans to intervene.
Cullen criticized his opponent on social media immediately after the loss and stopped to stare at him intensely as he left the stage. Suljovic insisted his behavior was not intentionally annoying.
After watching the afternoon competition, Littler said he revealed that Suljovic had actually messaged him before the tournament when the draw was made, predicting their meeting.
“I saw this afternoon and Mensur (Suljovic) played well.” Littler said. sky sports.
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Luke Littler got the job done against David Davies and noted that his next opponent, Mensur Suljovic, predicted their meeting in the third round.
“Obviously no one knows about this, but when the tournament draw came out, Mensur messaged me and said, ‘See you in round three.’”
“Then Mensur, let’s play a good game.”
Littler was also asked about his thoughts on Cullen’s “cheating” accusations, to which the 18-year-old laughed off the accusations and said this was simply the way the Austrian has always played the game.
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Mensur Suljovic responds to accusations he played deliberately slow against Joe Cullen and reveals why the referee warned him during their World Championship second round match.
“No, it’s not cheating, it’s the way he plays.” Littler said.
“Joe felt like he was slowing down. It’s not cheating. I’m just flipping the plane for Mensur and doing it until I feel stable. If he keeps doing that to me a little longer, all I have to do is wait for him and throw a dart.”
“I had a little watch, but I didn’t really pay attention to what he was doing,” he added.
“We all know he gets the ball in flight quite a few times before he throws it. I didn’t see anything wrong, but obviously Joe said something about it.
“If he tries to interrupt me or slow me down, of course I have to be prepared for that.”
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Luke Littler says he will be prepared for Mensur Suljovic’s slower tactics in the third round of the World Darts Championship.
Littler is now prepared for the challenge presented by Suljovic, but admitted he expects to meet Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals.
However, the Welshman suffered a shock defeat in the tournament, losing 3-0 to Wesley Fleischer.
Littler continued: “On paper, everyone expects it to be a seed. You get seeds because you rank high.
“But we have games to win. We have met and I think he is willing to do that, and obviously he will after Christmas.”
Suljovic: I am the bigger person!
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Mensur Suljovic feels comfortable facing Luke Littler in the third round of the World Championships.
Meanwhile, Suljovic was asked if he was ready to take on Littler and joked that he was the “bigger man”… literally!
“I feel good, I’ve played well, I’ve played well the last two months,” he said.
“Each tournament is different, and the World Championships are very different.
“I’m bigger than Luke Littler.”
Webster: Littler did what a champion does!
For Sky Sports Darts’ Mark Webster, Littler has shown a champion mentality but will now expect David Davies to go on to do big things, especially if he can earn a tour card.
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Watch 60 seconds of fun between Luke Littler and David Davies. There are fake 170 checkouts and early terminations!
“Champions find a way and he got through a tricky first set. He had a bit of luck but he got through the gears,” Webster said.
“I’m not saying he was nervous after having a one-set lead, but it helped him relax and he never looked dangerous.
“In the first set you thought this could go either way here.
“That’s what a champion does, that’s why he’s number one in the world and the guy to beat.
“David Davis missed a big chance, but he’s so experienced that he knows where he went wrong. He missed too many doubles, it’s as simple as that.
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Wayne Mardle and John Part discuss Joe Cullen’s anger over Mensur Suljovic’s antics during their World Darts Championship second round match.
“He can leave here with his head held high. You look at the 3-0 scoreline and you would think that was routine, but it was far from routine.”
“Davis looks like he’s fit for the big stage so now he should go and get his tour card and we can get more out of him.
“I think Littler will adapt to the game against Mensur (Suljovic). I think he will be fine.”
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky Channel 407 from December 10 until January 3). Stream darts and other top sports with NOW.
