A tearful Luke Littler came within millimetres of opening his quest for a maiden World Championship crown with a nine-dart finish as he beat Ryan Meikle in record-breaking fashion.
The teenage sensation was back on the Alexandra Palace stage 12 months on from his remarkable debut run to the final and showed everyone why he is the favourite to win the title this year.
Littler was a breath away from darting perfection when he missed a double 12 but threw a stunning 140.91 average in the final set to win 3-1.
That is the record for the highest average in a single set at the World Championship as the 17-year-old continues to break barriers. The win was extremely emotional for Littler, who cut his onstage interview short after breaking down in tears.
Littler was the main attraction on Saturday night, arriving at the tournament as the biggest name in the sport, fresh from his second-placed finish in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and becoming the most searched sportsman on Google in the UK during 2024.
And he is favourite for this year’s tournament after a stunning year, which has seen him win 10 PDC titles, including the Premier League and Grand Slam of Darts.
He started slowly but burst into life at the back end of the match, sealing the set in just 32 darts, including that agonising nine-darter attempt.
The 17-year-old booked his return to Ally Pally after Christmas and will now play Ritchie Edhouse or Ian White in the third round. “It was the toughest game I have played, but as a player you have got to get over the line,” Littler said.
“It was game on and bottom’s gone for me. The last set I don’t know where I pulled it from. I just had to fight until the end. It was good to be back, and get on the stage, nervous, I had to find it somewhere. I know I have got it.
“As soon as the question came on stage and then boom, the tears came. It was just a bit too much to speak on stage. It is the worst game I have played, I have never felt anything like that tonight.”
Raymond van Barneveld suffered one of his most disappointing Ally Pally defeats as he crashed out to world number 76 Nick Kenny. The five-time world champion, who was beaten in the fourth round by Littler last year, went down 3-1 to the Welshman, who was in tears after his victory.
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Kenny nearly made a mess of it, though, as he got the job done on his ninth match dart to set up a third round meeting with world number one Luke Humphries.
“It’s surreal, there’s a bit more to it, I have kept my tour card, I believe,” Kenny said.
“It was an absolute privilege to play Raymond van Barneveld on such a stage, he wasn’t at his best but who cares really?
“It is the biggest win of my life by far, it gives me another two years on tour. There was a lot more riding on it personally, I can really move on and really sort myself out.”
Danny Noppert was also a high-profile casualty as the 13th seed went down 3-1 to Ryan Joyce.
Earlier in the day, last year’s quarter-finalist Chris Dobey got his campaign under way with a 3-1 win over Alexander Merkx. There were also routine wins for Karel Sedlacek, Alexis Toylo and Brendan Dolan.
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