Luke Littler comes through last leg thriller with Ryan Joyce to set up World Championship quarter-final vs Aspinall
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LUKE LITTLER heads into the New Year just THREE GAMES away from becoming the youngest world darts champion in history. One of the greatest debut years in professional sport was capped by Littler with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Ryan Joyce that went the distance in the last game of 2024.
![[Luke Littler beat Ryan Joyce to reach the quarter-finals of the world championships]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/c2c8faf5-7886-4922-bcf5-b251d65388b5_b72763.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But 2025 could be even BETTER if he goes all the way and picks up the Sid Waddell Trophy late on Friday night. At 17 years old, he is aiming to be the youngest person to be champion of the world and how extraordinary that will be. Nathan Aspinall, his stable mate, will have something to say about that in the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day but the Littler bandwagon continues.
![[The teenager will now play Nathan Aspinall in the last eight]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/59f165fe-96f3-4d8a-8bc7-00a090506a66.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Littler was fast asleep when his biggest rival, the world No.1 Luke Humphries, was knocked out by Snakebite Peter Wright on Sunday evening. He only discovered the shock result when he woke up at 1.30am and checked the scores on his phone. The Warrington ace knows “all eyes” would be on him now and the pressure will simply ramp up – especially as all the bookies installed him as ODDS-ON to win the title.
![[Joyce pushed Littler but could not compete with the teenager's big scoring]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/c97e591d-7a52-4563-a48b-4595ee25feef.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
For Littler’s games, the PDC have used an extra security guard on the walk-ons – three not the normal two – to make sure nobody got near him or his rival. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. READ MORE on all the build-up to the Ally Pally extravaganza...
