Luke Littler came through a thrilling contest against Ryan Joyce to reach the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship with a tense 4-3 win at Alexandra Palace.
The 17-year-old, who is trying to go one better than his remarkable runner-up finish on debut at the tournament last year, never trailed but was pushed to the limit by his unseeded opponent as he was repeatedly pegged back.
Having missed a chance to seal victory in the sixth set after struggling with finishing throughout, Littler steadied himself to finally overcome Joyce’s resilience and take the decider 3-1.
Littler, who is the highest-seeded player left in the tournament after defending champion Luke Humphries’ surprise exit, will face 12th seed Nathan Aspinall in the last eight.
“I just wanted him to miss,” Littler said. “I had a lot of chances at my doubles whilst Ryan weren’t close but I’m happy to win.”
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Luke Littler finished on a 68 to gain a vital 3-2 lead against Ryan Joyce
The early signs were that Littler might blow Joyce away, with four perfect darts to start the match setting up a break of throw in the opener. Joyce got on the board with a 12-darter of his own, but Littler closed it out 3-1.
Joyce drew level in a strange second set which saw all five legs go against the throw, with Littler struggling to convert his double attempts in a trend that would continue throughout the match.
Littler emerged from the break to produce a fine third set, taking it 3-1 with an average of 108.22 despite continuing to struggle on doubles.
The tension at Ally Pally was turned up as Joyce lived up to his pre-match promise that he would take his own chances on doubles, taking the fourth set 3-1. At that stage of the match Joyce had taken out eight of his 15 opportunities, with Littler managing just nine from 29.
Joyce’s excellence on doubles finally faltered in the fifth set as he offered up a break to Littler, who appeared to have settled as he closed out the set with his first shot at double top.
However, Joyce refused to lie down and produced a 13-darter to break in the opening leg of the sixth set and then held for 2-0.
Littler battled back to 2-2 and earned a shot at double top again for the match, but this time missed and was punished as Joyce took out double 16 to force a decider.
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Ryan Joyce won the second set to draw the match level as he looked to put pressure on Luke Littler
With the pressure on, Littler threw successive 180s to start the decider, and while he couldn’t send the crowd into pandemonium with a nine-darter, closed it out to claim a crucial break.
He backed it up with a 13-darter to hold, and while Joyce got a leg back on his own throw, Little sealed the match in relative comfort with a double 12 to seal a 14-dart leg.
“I wouldn’t say I was nervous,” Littler reflected. “It was adrenaline. I knew the last leg I told myself to hold my own and I did on that double 12. It shows I can hit it.”
MVG ‘here to win’ after impressive win over De Graff
Michael van Gerwen kept alive his quest for a fourth world title by seeing off Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2.
Van Gerwen started superbly and looked to be cruising to victory after taking the first two sets, but De Graaf emerged from a break to mount an inspired comeback.
The unseeded Swede, who knocked out former champion Gary Anderson in round two, dominated the third set and snatched the fourth to level the match and put Van Gerwen under pressure.
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Michael Gerwen roared with passion after he beat Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2, to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Darts Championship
The Dutchman produced a champion’s response, upping his level once more to take the fifth set 3-0 with an average of almost 105.
A match-high 126 checkout followed to take the opening leg of the sixth set, before Van Gerwen took advantage of a drop-off in De Graaf’s quality to break for a chance to seal the match.
He missed his first three match darts, before finally getting the job done on double three to secure an 11th career quarter-final appearance at the tournament.
“When I play well, I don’t panic. You saw I didn’t panic at all,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports Darts after ending the match with an average of 101.98.
“When I keep focus, when I keep believing in my own ability, anything is possible. I’m not here for the jolly, I’m here to win a tournament, and we all know that.”
Bunting batters Woodhouse to reach last eight
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Stephen Bunting took the first set as he won all three legs against Luke Woodhouse and clinched the final leg with an impressive 121 finish
Stephen Bunting surged into the quarter-finals with a dominant 4-0 win over Luke Woodhouse in the opening game of the evening session.
The eighth seed flew out of the blocks after an electrifying walk-on to break Woodhouse twice in the opening set, sealing it to nil with a 121 checkout to send the crowd wild.
His average remained above 100 after he took the second set 3-1, and while his level dropped off slightly after that, a hapless Woodhouse never threatened to take a set, let alone the match.
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Stephen Bunting says he would love 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 eight will be two-time champion Peter Wright, after ‘Snakebite’ stunned defending champion Luke Humphries on Sunday.
“I expect the Peter Wright to turn up who was there yesterday against Luke,” Bunting told Sky Sports Darts. “I’m really looking forward to it, and like I said, in front of these fans we can win anything.”
What’s next?
The action resumes on New Year’s Day, with each of Wednesday’s two sessions featuring two quarter finals.
The afternoon session will see Chris Dobey face 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, before three-time winner Michael van Gerwen takes on Callan Rydz.
What promises to be a spectacular evening session will start with two-time champion Peter Wright taking on Stephen Bunting, before Luke Littler goes up against Nathan Aspinall.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.