Luke Littler shows true colours ahead of second successive World Championship final
The teenager insists that he will continue to play the game his way ahead of tonight's epic final with Michael Van Gerwen.
Luke Littler has insisted that he will not change his approach heading into his second successive World Darts Championship final.
17-year-old Littler smashed past Stephen Bunting 6-1 on Thursday evening to set up tonight's final clash with Michael Van Gerwen, who dismantled Chris Dobey by the same scoreline last night.
While Littler brutalised his opponent on the board, the atmosphere at the oche was at times a little too friendly for the tastes of the Sky Sports commentators.
READ MORE: What time and TV station is the world darts final between Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen?
Littler and Bunting fist-bumped after every set, while Bunting celebrated after his younger opponent landed a 170 check-out in the final set. The two players are friends and played their match in a good-natured manner – something three-time champion Van Gerwen is unlikely to continue in the final.
“It’s a very friendly game of darts,” Sky commentator Dan Dawson said. “There’s fist bumps and thumbs up and all sorts going on. But there is some brutality as well.”
Co-commentator Mark Webster added: “They’re fist-bumping a bit too much. It’s the semi-final of the World Championship! There’s a lot of respect up there. Maybe I’m just being a bit harsh.”
In typical Littler fashion, he is fully focused on performing and is not remotely bothered by such criticism. “I don’t know if I have grown throughout the year,” he told SportsBoom.com.
“I’ve been the same and this is how I’ll always be.” Littler, who has already guaranteed himself a £200,000 payday, added: “I don’t need to change for no one.”
Littler was beaten by world No.1 Luke Humphries in last year’s final and will not underestimate the challenge that awaits him in the form of Van Gerwen. The Dutchman is hoping to add to his victories at Ally Pally in 2013/14, 2016/17 and 2018/19 and will be fired up on Friday.
"I have gained loads of experience over the last year," Littler said. "Michael has been in numerous finals; this is only my second, but I know where I went wrong last year, and I'm sure I will fix it.
"It would mean everything to lift this title, but my only focus right now is winning seven sets tomorrow night."
He added: "I felt very confident tonight. The best I felt was against Nathan [Aspinall] in the quarter-finals, but I'm just glad I'm playing with such belief. I'm hitting the right shots when I need to. Stephen was right behind me throughout the game, so I couldn't afford to step off the gas."
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