Luke Littler has advanced to the fourth round of the World Darts Championship after overcoming another tough test to defeat Ian White 4-1 at Alexandra Palace.
The pre-tournament favorite exited through a tight opening set but lost the second to White, who missed darts to win three of the first four sets and threaten a famous upset against the fourth seed.
Littler raced through the third set with just 39 darts and punished a missed dart from White to close out the fourth set with a 70, then broke White in the next before wrapping up the win with 14 darts.
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Littler beat White in a remarkable game, finishing with an 88 on the bullseye
Littler scored an average of 97.84 and 12 maximum points against Whyte, as the 17-year-old avoided a repeat of the emotions seen in his second-round win over Ryan Mikel and booked a last-16 meeting with Ryan Joyce on Monday.
Michael van Gerwen also secured his place in the fourth round as he came back from a set down to beat Brendan Dolan 4-2, with Chris Dobbie also qualifying after beating Josh Rock by the same margin.
How did Littler pass the White test?
Littler opened with a downbeat 20-dart catch but trailed when White capitalized on five missed darts on a double to break, only for “Diamond” to miss a steady dart at the tops before Littler clinched the opener with a 12-dart shot in the final round. Leg decision.
Luke Littler converted just 13 of his 37 chances in a brace against White
The pair exchanged several throwing breaks in another cagey second, with Littler putting up a 114 before White took the next leg against the Archers to level, but the momentum came back Littler's way in the third game.
Littler followed 13 and 14 arrows by nailing the bullseye in order to post an 88 to complete a dominant third set, with 'Nuke' taking advantage of another missed set arrow from White in the final stretch of the fourth set to find a 70 checkout and open a two-set buffer.
The young player continued to waste doubles in the fifth set, boosting White's hopes of expanding the competition, then threatened to end the victory with the “big fish” before defeating his opponent by ending the match with 25 points.
“It was tough,” Littler said. Sky Sports. “Ian just threw everything at me. If I got to 180, he would hit back with 180 so I had to stay on my toes. It was just a case of settling down quickly. The first set was good. But after the first half I was really into it.
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Luke Littler comments on his struggles to finish Double 10 and Double 20 in his match against Ian White.
“I don't think D10 liked me tonight and I didn't like it! I was thinking about switching to D18 or D16 but I stuck with the doubles I know and D10 brought me home.”
MVG sees Dolan as Dobey advances
Van Gerwen looked set to win the first set when he earned a break in the second leg, but Dolan fired 15 straight shots – including an 86 on point – to take a surprise lead.
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Michael van Gerwen put on a vintage display by hitting a 129 to break Brendan Dolan and take the second set
The Dutchman managed to get through a round of 21 arrows – despite missing seven darts in two shots – but closed out the second in emphatic fashion in the next stage, shooting 129 for 12 arrows, before quickly taking control of the contest. .
Van Gerwen won eight games in a row – including a stunning 149 checkout at the start of the fourth round – to win the next two sets in a row, only for Dolan to capitalize on a three-time world champion finish to break serve and claim the set again in the fifth.
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Van Gerwen made 149 checkouts in the first leg of the Group C match against Dolan
Dolan produced a brilliant 123 on point and missed a dart in the second leg to take the contest to the final deciding set, where Van Gerwen survived the catch and secured his place in the next round.
“It was a really tough game,” Van Gerwen He told Sky Sports. “I tried to punish him at the right moments and couldn't do it. I can only blame myself for that. I'm very happy that D8 came in at the end.”
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Van Gerwen said he has had a difficult year and still has a lot of work to do
The opening match of the evening was also a tough encounter, with Dube coming back from 2-1 down to secure a 4-2 win over Rock and book a round of 16 encounter against either Kevin Deutz or Krzysztof Ratajski.
Dube responded to the third set loss by taking a fourth in a row and survived Rock's missed set in the fifth set to take the deciding set in the first leg, before wrapping up the win with a stunning double-double finish on 19 and 96 checkouts. .
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Chris Dobie comes back for the win with a double finish after Josh Rock applied pressure with a 180 in their third round bout
Afternoon round: Aspinall qualifies for the round of 16
Nathan Aspinall He qualified for the round of 16 for the first time in five years after defeating Andrew Gelding in straight sets, setting him up for a showdown against Andrew Gelding. Ricardo Petrichko on monday.
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
During Nathan Aspinall's match with Andrew Gelding, the Asp player was slightly distracted by the Alexandra Palace crowd as he briefly stopped playing to watch the antics of Ally Pally.
Aspinall broke Gelding twice in the opening set and cruised through two sets to win the next two sets, before wrapping up an impressive win – in which he scored an average of 92.17 and was decisive in the doubles – by clinching the tops with a 14-arrow break.
“I'm glad I was able to finish,” Aspinall said. Sky Sports. “I'm usually really bad at finishing, which is why I usually lose. I don't usually score my goals. In the last two games I played, I finished really well, and I didn't score great goals.”
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Nathan Aspinall blew the roof off Alexandra Palace during his walk that brought fans to their feet during his match against Andrew Gilding at the 2025 World Darts Championships
Petrichko continued his impressive world championships with a win over last year's semi-finalist Scott Williams, winning the first two sets and progressing to a straight fourth before wrapping up a 4-1 win after an astonishing 121 shots on point.
The other match of the session went to a final decider, where Joyce squandered a two-set lead against Ryan Searle before recovering to advance to the fourth round for the first time since 2019.
“It was a really tough game,” Joyce said. Sky Sports. “I did my best in the end to qualify and I'm very happy that I was able to find something in the last group.”
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Ryan Joyce fended off a returning Ryan Searle as he won 4-3 to advance to the fourth round. Joyce also racked up an impressive 113 points and there was a whirlwind from Searle as he missed 20 with one point to leave on top, all in the final set.
What's next next?
The third round concludes on Sunday, with Dimitri van den Berg heading the afternoon session against Callan Reds after Kevin Deutz takes on Krzysztof Ratajski and Geoffrey De Graaf with Paolo Nebreda at 12:30 pm.
Ricky Evans faces Robert Owen to open the evening session from 7pm, the final match of the round of 32 in the tournament, before the fourth round begins later that evening with an all-Welsh clash between Johnny Clayton and former world champion Gerwyn Price.
Defending champion Luke Humphries next faces two-time world champion Luke Humphries in tonight's final, with the remaining six fourth-round matches to be played on Monday before the quarter-finals – across two sessions – take place on New Year's Day.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until 3 January on the dedicated darts channel Sky Sports. Stream darts and more of the best sports with NOW.
