In Amsterdam, Luke Littler fought through a noisy Dutch crowd and a difficult opponent to make it to the second round of the World Series of Darts Finals. The World No 1 came through a tense match against Danny Noppert, winning 6-4. That contest brought back memories of several nights during this year’s Premier League Darts, where Littler was met with whistles and jeers throughout the series on his way to claiming the title.
Littler’s victory means his chances of winning every major darts title at once remain intact. If he takes the trophy this weekend and the two tournaments after that, the World Grand Prix and the European Championship, he will be the first player to hold all of them simultaneously.
Littler’s Comeback Against Noppert
Twice during the match, Littler had to react to a hostile audience. The most important moment arrived in the sixth leg, when Noppert failed at a 44 checkout, which gave Littler the chance to level the score at 3-3. Once he secured that leg, Littler responded with a loud cry, then placed his hands over his ears, urging the crowd to raise their volume even further as they booed him loudly.
In the following leg, Noppert fell short on two darts that would have restored his break lead, and Littler seized the moment. The young player responded with a strong finish, taking out a top-notch 95 checkout with tops-tops to push his score to 5-4 and break his rival, securing the win.
“Coming back from a losing position to win is always a great feeling,” said Littler, who won the World Series of Darts Finals in 2024.
He added: “I’m not putting pressure on myself. I am just focusing on round by round.”
Littler is now set to face Nathan Aspinall in the second round of this week’s competition. The match will be one of the highlights of Saturday’s schedule.
Noppert’s Slow Start
Littler fell behind early after Noppert seized on his opponent’s sluggish start to win the third leg, giving Noppert an initial 3-1 lead. The margin endured through the fifth leg, at which point Littler began his comeback, turning the match around in the sixth leg.
Noppert paid for his own 44 error at the checkout, handing Littler a chance to even the contest at 3-3. Once the match was tied, Littler took command of it, with the crowd’s clamor turning into an obstacle instead of support.
The First Round in Numbers
There were no major surprises as the first round drew to a close on Friday, unlike the first night when Michael van Gerwen was stunned by Daryl Gurney.
A number of close contests were matched against several decisive wins throughout the day. The round unfolded with this sequence of results:
- Gerwyn Price raced into a 5-0 lead against Brody Klinge but the Australian fought back to 5-4 before Price stumbled over the line.
- Jonny Clayton was 4-0 up before missing several match darts on his way to a 6-3 win over Maik Kuivenhoven, who was called up as a late replacement for Lourence Ilagan after the Philippines player withdrew due to visa issues.
- James Wade edged out Damon Heta 6-5 after the latter missed a match dart in their deciding leg.
- Nathan Aspinall fought back from 4-2 down to defeat Raymond Smith 6-4.
- Wessel Nijman started off his World Series of Darts campaign with a 6-4 win over veteran Simon Whitlock.
- Jim Long took out Canada’s Adam Leek 6-5.
- Motomu Sakai beat Callan Rydz 6-5.
- Luke Littler beat Danny Noppert 6-4.
What Littler Said About the Match
The next round will pit Littler against Aspinall, and his remarks made clear the regard he has for the man standing across from him.
Littler made the remark about “Nathan always throws everything at me. He produces his best, I perform at my best, and hopefully it’s another great game tomorrow,”.
He also addressed the scale of what he is chasing. “It would be one of the best darts achievements if I could pull it off [the clean sweep], but it’s still a very long way away.”
Littler is taking things one match at a time, but the clean sweep would demand winning five major finals in succession: the World Series of Darts Finals, the World Grand Prix, the European Championship, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship finals in November.
The Second Round Schedule
Four matches make up the afternoon session on Saturday, starting at 12pm. Then the evening session begins at 6pm, with Littler’s match against Aspinall serving as its headline contest.
The full schedule is below:
Saturday September 19
Afternoon Session – From 12pm
– Josh Rock vs Ryan Searle
– Daryl Gurney vs Ross Smith
– Gian van Veen vs Karel Sedlacek
– Luke Humphries vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
The evening session opens at 6pm with a match between Jonny Clayton and Motomu Sakai. Gerwyn Price faces Jim Long shortly after that. James Wade takes on Wessel Nijman in the third pairing, followed by Luke Littler versus Nathan Aspinall to close the session.
The matches are available to follow at skysports.com.
The Road Ahead
Sky Sports covers the World Grand Prix, which runs from September 28 through October 4. After that, the European Championship takes place, followed by the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship finals in November.
This season, Littler has taken home every major trophy on offer. That run of victories carries real momentum into the next match. It also brings a heavy weight of expectation from fans and followers alike. In Amsterdam, the spectators will be paying close attention as he looks to extend his winning streak with yet another championship.
The road ahead is plain to see, though it stretches far. Even Littler acknowledges that for himself.
Source material: “Littler overcomes lively crowd to beat Noppert at World Series of Darts Finals,” Sky Sports.
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