He booked his place in the semi-finals with a convincing 5-1 win over Brendan Dolan on the opening day of 2024, where he defeated 2018 champion Rob Cross 2-6 at Alexandra Palace.

Luke Littler is just 16 years old (he turns 17 on 21 January). He has already written his name in the history books of the World Darts Championships by reaching the semi-finals at such a young age. His semi-final triumph over Brendan Dolan on the opening day of 2024 has set up a clash with former World Champion Rob Cross.

Littler's qualification was a surprise given his youth, but even more unexpected was his defeat of heavy favourite Michael Van Gerwen, who was beaten 5-3 by Scott Williams in the quarter-finals. His exit opened up the possibility of a new World Champion, with the three-time winner of the elite competition no longer in contention.

"I feel incredible. I never thought I would reach the semi-finals in my debut year," said Littler, as quoted by AFP. He showed great confidence in himself and his chances of becoming world champion next Wednesday. His undeniable skill has made his opponents aware of his current form.

Littler is determined to maintain the level of play he has shown throughout this championship. His comments after qualifying for the penultimate stage before the Grand Final were resolute: "I can be in the final. I know I have a good chance".  

True to his aggressive style, Littler quickly took the lead. He won the first two sets convincingly. He repeated the feat in the third and fourth sets, taking a 4-0 lead and looking like the man to beat. However, Dolan took the fifth set to make it 4-1 and raise hopes. However, this proved to be illusory as Littler soon regained control at Alexandra Palace and ran out 5-1.

After losing the first set to Rob Cross (3-2), he recovered perfectly to take three sets in a row (2-3, 1-3 and 2-3) to lead 3-1. He lost the fifth (3-2) and won the last three to win 2-6. He'll play for the title on Wednesday against Luke Humphries, who beat Scott Williams 0-6.