Luke Littler has been handed his first major loss of the calendar year by Johnny Clayton in the World Series of Darts final
Luke Littler has been stunned in the World Series of Darts finals – losing to Johnny Clayton in the quarter-finals.
The Nuke, 19, has been almost unstoppable this calendar year – winning every ranking event. However, his march to greatness has been emphatically stopped in the World Series, a non-ranking event, by the Ferret.
Clayton bested Littler 10-4 int he quarter-finals, dealing him his first major defeat of the season. “To be honest, I just thought: ‘Relax, go out and try your best’,” Clayton admitted to ITV after he nailed tops to vanquish the Nuke. “What a player he [Littler] is.
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“He wasn’t full flow today, but you have to take your chances. Luke missed a lot of darts at doubles, and that’s the name of the game. You have to take your chances.
“I did that today, and it’s brilliant. The last dart in a double hurts, and it puts pressure on a player.
“But all respect to Luke, he’s fantastic. He just gave me chances upon chances, and that’s not the Littler we all know. But Jonny Clayton can play darts as well.”
While Raymond van Barneveld, who was working as a pundit for ITV, suggested the pressure of the perfect season might have finally got to Littler.
The Dutchman said: “It’s the pressure. Everyone talks about: ‘Can he do the whole year and win all the big majors.’ It gives big pressure. He wants to perform, and he’s the best player at the moment, but everyone is fallible.
“Everyone wants your scalp, and Jonny Clayton did it perfectly today. In all honestly, Littler missed some crucial shots.
“Everyone thought Littler would win the whole event, but now it’s really open for all four players left.”