Young prodigy Luke Littler makes perfect move and advances in World Matchplay
The current leader of the world rankings, Luke Littler, staged a historic moment by executing a perfect round of nine shots, ensuring his passage to the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay after beating Nathan Aspinall by a score of 11 to 8.
The clash, held at the iconic Winter Gardens complex in the city of Blackpool, had an overwhelming start from the English prodigy, who scored the exact score, finishing with double 15. This move, known on the circuit as “nine-darter”, is considered the pinnacle of precision in the sport, equivalent to a perfect game in bowling or a maximum break in snooker, being a rare and extremely celebrated feat on the big stages of the Triple Crown of darts.
Immediately after hitting the decisive target, the 19-year-old athlete put his hands over his ears to absorb the deafening noise from the fans present, while his opponent and compatriot showed an incredulous smile before congratulating him on the feat.
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The tension in the arena reached a new peak during the fourth half of the match, when the world number one almost repeated the dose of perfection, but saw his last dart scrape the wire and miss the coveted double 15 by millimeters.
Faced with the initial massacre, Aspinall starred in a comical scene by turning to the stands and extending his own equipment towards the audience, jokingly asking if any spectators would like to take his place against the Warrington-born phenomenon.
Even facing a gala performance from his opponent, the veteran showed resilience and sought the disadvantage until he equalized the score at 7-7, forcing the current holder of the trophy to raise the level to win the three subsequent ends.
In the final stretch, Aspinall wasted a crucial chance by missing the top zone of the target in the nineteenth round, allowing the youngster to close the score with 52 points. The triumph was crowned with an astonishing average of 113.68 points per target visit — the second highest mark ever recorded in the competition — in addition to recording a maximum score of 180 on fourteen separate occasions, reaffirming its dominance on the professional circuit.
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During the post-game interview, the winner explained that the perfect play flowed naturally, highlighting the irony of having been booed by spectators in the first few minutes before receiving a standing ovation from the same audience.
The competitor defined the experience as something out of the ordinary and evaluated the duel as the highest level confrontation he has ever fought against his compatriot, highlighting that matches against this specific rival require maximum attention due to his refusal to give up.
To conclude, the circuit leader celebrated the fact of having delivered two memorable performances at the event, reinforcing his desire to lift the cup once again, although he stressed that his concentration is now entirely focused on the next knockout phase.
Path towards the title puts Josh Rock on the horizon of ranking leader
Following the bracket, the next obstacle will be Josh Rock, who secured his qualification with a resounding 11-6 victory over Stephen Bunting. The clash repeats the semi-final played between the two in last year’s edition, creating great expectations for a new chapter in this rivalry.
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In other decisive matches of the night, multi-time champion Michael van Gerwen’s journey was halted early when he was beaten 14-12 in a Dutch classic against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Van Gerwen staged a spectacular recovery by reversing a worrying 8-4 deficit, reaching a 10-10 score, but he lacked momentum in the final stretch and his compatriot took advantage of the gaps to settle the score.
Also qualifying for the next stage was Scottish veteran Gary Anderson, who imposed his pace of play to dispatch Wales representative Jonny Clayton with a solid 11-7 victory.
Consolidated scores and the next matches of the tournament in 2026
Tuesday’s night round delivered the following official results in the round of 16:
- (5) Jonny Clayton 7-11 Gary Anderson (12)
- (4) Michael van Gerwen 12-14 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- (1) Luke Littler 11-8 Nathan Aspinall (16)
- (8) Josh Rock 11-6 Stephen Bunting (9)
Continuing the competition calendar, Wednesday’s schedule, with matches starting at 7:15 pm (local time), features the following clashes:
- Cameron Menzies v Ross Smith (15)
- (7) Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
- (3) Gian van Veen v Wessel Nijman (14)
- (6) James Wade v Ryan Searle (11)
