Luke Littler says he will not change his routine before taking on Michael van Gerwen in the 17-year-old's second successive PDC World Darts Championship final on Friday (8pm GMT).
Home favorite Littler, who lost last year's match to Luke Humphries, beat Stephen Ponting 6-1 in the semi-final on Thursday to equal 35-year-old Van Gerwen's win over Chris Dobbie.
“I've played a lot better and won a lot of titles before that, but that's what we do – we drive to the big title,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“We all know he's looking for that world title, but I'm looking for my first one. (My plan is) to go home, relax and come back (on Friday).”
Luke Letelier reaches the finals of the World Darts Championship! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/B5prHiMbnq
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 2, 2025
Littler 'can't wait' to face Van Gerwen
Littler beat Van Gerwen 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the Czech Open Darts Championship last October, winning despite the Dutchman averaging 112.19 points per game.
This was the highest average loss ever on the European Tour, while Littler scored 110.57. Van Gerwen averaged 99.75 in the tournament, compared to Littler's 102.13.
“There are major tournaments throughout the year but I can't wait for (the final),” Littler said. He added: “If we participate like we did (in the semi-finals), it will be really good.
“Once Luke Humphries went out (in the fourth round), that's what everyone was looking at. I just had to focus on my quarter-final and semi-final, and now that I've done that I can focus on Michael.
Final confirmed! Michael van Gerwen will face Luke Littler tomorrow night, live on Sky Sports 🍿🎯 pic.twitter.com/cKKJI80Sa7
– Sky Sports (@SkySports) January 2, 2025
World Darts “Amazing” – Smaller
Littler appears to be hitting his peak at the right time, as his final average against Ponting was 105.48, his highest of the tournament so far.
Van Gerwen ended a six-year wait to go all the way in the tournament, including scoring 158 points during the sixth set against Dube.
“It's been an amazing tournament so far,” Littler said. “People will say I was looking forward to the title all the time, but I was looking forward to the first match against Ryan Mikel.
“Since then, I have been overcoming what is in front of me. I am very happy with the win.”
