Luke Littler believes he can ‘do some damage’ at the Boyle Sports World Grand Prix after setting up a second-round showdown with defending champion Mike De Decker in Leicester.
Littler produced a stunning performance to beat world youth champion Gian van Veen 2-0 in the opening match of the tournament at the Mattioli Arena. Here he averaged 105.58 points and finished over 2 tons in a record-breaking event.
Van Veen achieved the highest average in World Grand Prix history. His 106.47 broke the record held by Alan Warriner-Little since 2001. However, Littler could only manage two legs as he entered the last 16.
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Luke Littler hit a stunning 151 to clinch the opening set against Gian van Veen.
“We definitely bring out the best in each other,” Littler said of Van Veen, who beat him in their three previous meetings. “Gian did his part in a great performance, but to get his first win on this stage is truly amazing.
“Anything can happen in a double start, so hopefully I can perform like I did in round two tonight (Tuesday). I’ll be ready!”
Littler’s victory avoided a repeat of his first-round exit in his debut last year. The world No. 2 made 151 in a tight opening set and wrapped up a straight-sets win with a stunning 144 checkout.
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Luke Littler capped off an incredible run with a brilliant 144 to knock out Gian van Veen in Leicester.
The 18-year-old suffered a first-round defeat in the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay before winning the Phil Taylor Trophy at Blackpool a year later. Littler was hoping history would repeat itself as he chased another TV title.
“It can certainly cause some damage,” Littler argued. “Obviously the performance shows that, but it’s only the first round. There’s still a lot of time left to think about lifting trophies. Take it one game at a time.
“It (the World Grand Prix) is one of the things that’s missing and it’s definitely not the easiest. Certainly the way I played there, hopefully I can come back in a few days and get the job done again.”
Littler or De Decker will face either Gerwyn Price or Josh Rock in Friday’s quarterfinals.
On wanting to bounce back from last year’s early loss, Littler explained: “Obviously you’ve been here before but not the best and you want to come and prove it.
“Like the (World) Match Play, last year we went to the first round and this year we won, so the same thing could happen, but we’re not saying anything!”
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Highlights from July’s World Match Play final, with Luke Littler’s impressive win over James Wade in Blackpool
De Decker hopes for less from Littler.
Littler will face De Decker on Thursday after beginning his title defense with a comeback win over 2018 runner-up and two-time world champion Peter “Snakebite” Wright.
“I hope he (Littler) doesn’t do that to me!” De Decker told reporters after the 2-1 win: “It doesn’t matter who he’s playing against, it’s hard to win.”
Wright won the opening set against De Decker. De Decker crashed out at 152 in the second round before completing an impressive fightback by demolishing the Scot in the final set decider.
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Peter Wright applauded Mike De Decker’s stunning 152 checkout in the second set of their first round match in Leicester.
De Decker said, “It was a shaky start, but I performed well in the last two sets,” and pledged to become the third player in World Grand Prix history to win the double start crown.
“I was really nervous in the first set because I had never defended a title before, but I felt good too. I got goosebumps coming here!”
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Highlights from the 2024 World Grand Prix final as Mike De Decker defeated Luke Humphries to secure his first major TV title
Littler received applause after his impressive start.
Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle:
“What he did really well was that when he got down the top, he rarely converted to a double 10. He stayed there and actually forced one into the top and then added a treble or a single. That’s a breakaway.
“He was constantly falling out of the top tier. He had 11 visits to two or three trebles, and once he left the scoring was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.
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Sky Sports’ Polly James and Glen Durrant discuss Luke Littler’s decision to split his management team.
“It was a trickle that kept going in that would eventually break someone down. If he can keep doing that in the longer formats, he’ll get some stopping.”
Sky Sports’ John Part:
“It was a great contest and a brilliant performance by Littler. Luke had all the answers for Van Veen and it was fun to watch. He seemed to have his way and whenever he needed something, he got it.
The numbers behind Luke Littler’s impressive win over Gian van Veen
“The focus was unbelievable, especially against better opposition the last few times. You would have thought there would have been a bit of excitement there, but there wasn’t.”
“It was fantastic to see him face the quality he faced without blinking and it’s something you want to see from an up-and-coming start. He’s number two in the world and is pushing for number one. I’m sure Luke Humphries will try to contain him!”
Thursday 2nd round match (best of 5 sets)
- Dirk van Duyvenbode vs Darryl Gurney
- Johnny Clayton vs Luke Woodhouse
- Luke Littler vs Mike De Decker
- Gerwin Price vs. Josh Rock
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