Luke Littler was overcome with emotion after breaking down during a live interview following his second round win over Ryan Meikle.
The 17-year-old survived a scare on Saturday night to ensure his place in the third round of PDC World Championship.
Sky SportsLittler failed to contain his emotion after beating Meikle in four sets[/caption]
After a closely fought opening three sets, last year’s runner-up at Alexandra Palace ended up producing one of darts’ most incredible sets.
In his three winning legs, he hit two 11-darters with a ten-darter sandwiched in between.
He averaged a truly astonishing 140.91 average to show fans why many consider him to be the favourite to win the tournament.
His fourth set heroics saw him finish with a three-dart average of 100.85 – helped by hitting ten 180s across the match.
Meikle meanwhile performed valiantly in their second round contest, with the 28-year-old boasting an impressive 91.93 average.
Following Littler’s victory, he spoke to Sky Sports where he proceeded to break down his performance.
He said, ‘I started off dead slow,’ before breaking down in tears.
The interview then came to an abrupt end as Sky’s live coverage went to a commercial break.
Following his brief interview, Littler was later seen being consoled by his parents as his mother appears to wipe her eyes.
Another image showed ‘The Nuke’ hugging his mother following what was an emotional evening session at Ally Pally.
Sky SportsThe 2024 World Championship runner-up admitted he wasn’t at his best early on[/caption]
Littler’s five-word assessment of his performance at the start of the match was the truth.
Meikle, who beat fan favourite Fallon Sherrock in the first round, was unfortunate to not take the first leg despite having the throw in the deciding leg.
Littler pulled off a vintage 12-darter to steal the opening set, before he issued a cheeky four-message to the fans in attendance.
After an animated celebration, he turned to the audience where he pointed to himself and the ground, saying: “Relax, I’m here, relax.”
However he struggled to find his rhythm in the second, leading to Meikle to level up the scoring after winning in four legs.
Another end-to-end set saw Littler win 3-1 on legs in the third, before the teenager put on a show for the ages in the fourth.
More to follow…
