Darts
World Number One at 18: Luke Littler One Win Away from Toppling Rival Luke Humphries
For the first time, Luke Littler’s semi-final matters more than the final. The 18-year-old teen can become world number one by beating Danny Noppert, even before facing rival Luke Humphries, calling tomorrow’s clash “very important” as he chases darts history at the Grand Slam.
Credit: PDC
Teenage sensation Luke Littler remains on course to claim his second Grand Slam of Darts title, potentially becoming only the fourth player ever to win it back-to-back. But there’s an even bigger prize on the line: Littler is now just one victory away from claiming the coveted world number one spot from current holder and fierce rival Luke Humphries.
On the Verge of History
Littler booked his place on “cup collection day” in Wolverhampton with a thrilling victory over Target stablemate and off-the-oche friend Josh Rock. The match, billed as a potential firework, lived up to expectations.
Next up for Littler is a semi-final clash with Danny Noppert, a hurdle he must clear to reach the final. Interestingly, the potential final itself isn’t crucial for Littler to claim the world number one position.
Humphries is on the opposite side of the draw, set to face Gerwyn Price in his semi-final. However, even if Humphries navigates that challenge and eventually defeats Littler in the final, the prize money he earned in 2023 means he would still lose the top spot. This would hand the 18-year-old Littler the world number one ranking regardless of the tournament outcome.
World Number One Within Reach
Given this unique scenario, where Littler doesn’t even need to beat Humphries or lift the Grand Slam trophy to seize the ranking, we asked him how he feels about the situation and whether it makes the semi-final against Noppert more significant than the potential final.
He acknowledged the importance of the semi-final.
"Any game's important, but I think that one tomorrow [against Noppert], it's very important for myself to obviously stop Luke [Humphries] from being number one,” he told SportsBoom.co.uk.
Being only a single win away from the world number one ranking, Littler admitted that achieving it before the final would allow him to approach the decider more relaxed than ever before.
"He's [Humphries] on the other side of the draw. I've got to look at Danny. All the hard work goes into it, and once you're in the final, you just got to relax.”
"I wouldn't say I wouldn’t care about the final; I'd definitely care. But I’d definitely be more relaxed. I can’t wait to come back tomorrow.”
Rivalry and Reflection
We also asked Littler if it felt slightly bittersweet that after nearly two years of a fierce rivalry with Humphries, claiming the top spot might not come down to a direct showdown between the two.
Littler admitted that such a clash would have been a fitting conclusion, but he remains focused on the immediate task at hand: defeating Noppert.
"It would have obviously been a very good game. Battling it out for world number.”
"But I’ve just got to put it right against Danny,” Littler concluded.
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