World champion Luke Littler hit a sensational 152 checkout in the deciding leg of a thrilling World Grand Prix quarter-final against Gerwyn Price to reach the last four in Leicester.
That wonderful finish capped the 18-year-old’s fightback from two sets down against 2020 World Grand Prix winner Price, who missed three match darts at doubles in the fourth set.
Littler had seemed poised for victory in the final set before Price took out an incredible 156 finish to send the match into a sudden-death leg, in which the Welshman had the advantage of throwing first.
Both players struggled to find an opening double in the decider and neither scored heavily, until the English teenager’s moment of magic finished the match.
Asked how he felt after falling 2-0 behind in sets, Littler told Sky Sports: “I just said that it’s now or never – you have to switch on, find those trebles and not stay on the wire for the entire match.
“I switched up, started going for double 16s and it worked in parts. Double 16 is the one that got me the World Championship and it’s always there to be hit.”
Clayton, the 2021 champion, lost the first leg of his quarter-final against Dirk van Duijvenbode but then won nine in succession to take a convincing 3-0 victory.
Saturday’s other match in the best-of-nine semi-finals will be contested by England’s world number one Luke Humphries and Dutchman Danny Noppert.
Humphries, who won the title in 2023 and was runner-up last year, was a 3-1 victor against Scotland’s Cameron Menzies.
Quarter-final results
Danny Noppert 3-1 Gary Anderson
Dirk van Duijvenbode 0-3 Jonny Clayton
Luke Littler 3-2 Gerwyn Price
Semi-finals
Saturday, 11 October (20:00 BST – matches are best of nine sets)
Luke Humphries v Danny Noppert
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Source: BBC
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