Luke Littler says rival ‘underneath strain’ with enormous payday at stake in Grand Slam of Darts

Luke Littler has admitted his rival Michael Smith is under pressure in Wolverhampton.

Littler, 17, put on a show on Tuesday evening as he cruised though to the knockout phase while almost nailing a record-setting nine darter in the Grand Slam of Darts. However, Littler has claimed the pressure isn’t on him this week – pointing towards Bully Boy.

A win in Wolverhampton would be a career milestone for Littler, netting him £200,000 in prize money and boosting him to number five in the PDC order of merit.

Bully Boy, meanwhile, has been slipping and sliding down the rankings: “I’ve already gone up three places,” Littler told Sportsboom.“But obviously the eyes are on Michael Smith. He’s defending a lot of money. He’s under pressure, especially defending the World Championship this year.”

He added: “I just wanted a good run. I never say I need to win this tournament. I want to, obviously, I want to try and win everything, but it doesn’t always happen.

“The past majors, the draws haven’t been in my favour, and I’ve lost. It’s back to the drawing board, and so far, things are going well in this tournament. I’m enjoying myself.

“People are probably expecting me to get to the final,” he said. “I’ll just keep plodding along, taking it game by game as always, and hopefully, I can do well.”

Littler is back in action on Thursday (November 14) when he clashes with the World Grand Prix Champion Mike De Decker.

“I’ll just try to relax and play my game,” De Decker said when asked about his opponent. “It’s not any different. I’m just hoping I’ll play well, and if chances come, I’ll take them. But I’m happy with how I’ve played so far in this tournament.”