World champion Luke Littler triumphed over Nathan Aspinall in a thrilling 10-9 encounter to secure his spot in the last eight of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The 19-year-old found himself trailing 9-8 in the best-of-19 contest but held his throw in the 18th leg to force a decider.
Littler then started the final leg with his seventh 180 of the match and completed a match-clinching 12-darter by checking out 58. The two English players have a history of close contests, including a World Matchplay classic in July where Littler threw a nine-darter.
Reflecting on the match, Littler commented, "The pace of the game suits us both, we're good friends and we bring the best out of each other." He added that he only played well in the final session, from 6-6 onwards. The world number one is now set to face former Premier League champion Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Other players progressing to the quarter-finals include Gerwyn Price, James Wade, Ross Smith, Josh Rock, Dirk van Duijvenbode, and Gian van Veen. The tournament concludes on Sunday, with the quarter-finals starting at 12:00 BST and the semi-finals and final scheduled for the evening session at 18:00 BST.