Luke Littler is relishing the chance to face Stephen Ponting and his army in the semi-final at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
Littler continued his bid for a maiden World Darts Championship title with a convincing 5-2 win over Nathan Aspinall, having seen Ponting dispatch Peter Wright by the same margin.
Both players receive huge support from the Ally Pally crowd, with Bunting's 'Titanium' run and Littler's 'Greenlight' track generating huge buzz before each match, with the pre-tournament favorite fully aware that not all of the crowd will support his bid to reach a second World Final.
“They (the crowd) were good to me tonight,” Littler said He told Sky Sports After his victory over Aspinall. “They were also good to Stephen.
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Everyone laughs as Littler and Aspinall joke after losing the nine-dart in the quarter-finals
“They can choose and support whoever they want. I can see quite a few Nuke shirts here, so I think I got the best!”
With Luke Humphries suffering a shock early exit, Littler now enters the semi-final as the favorite – Michael van Gerwen faces Chris Dobie in the other semi – but knows anything can happen on the Ally Pally stage.
But the 17-year-old is feeling his best in the entire tournament and will be hoping to repeat that on Thursday night to book his place in the final once again.
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Littler says he plays with absolute confidence and freedom
“Maybe that's what everyone thinks, but anything can happen on that day, it's the World Series semifinals,” Littler said.
“Obviously Michael has been there a few times, Chris the first time, me the second time, and I know Ponting I think is the first or second time, so it will be a good night.
“I felt my best in this tournament so far, so hopefully I can regroup and come back and I can feel the same way.
“We all know the expectations and it's very different to last year, but tonight I felt greater and hopefully I can regroup and feel like I did on that stage tomorrow (Thursday).
“Maybe I'll just say I felt different in the Ryan Mikel game, and then going up against Ian White, obviously going 3-1 up was crucial against Ian, and then the tough test against Ryan, I think that's what I needed. Then tonight it just settled in.”
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Stephen Ponting gives credit to his training partner Luke Humphries for improving his form to reach the semi-finals after victory over Peter Wright
Bunting calls for more Ally Pally crowd
Although Littler is ready for his opponent to have a crowd when they face off in the semi-final, Ponting himself dealt with Wright's growing support when he fought back in the quarter-final.
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Watch as Ponting's son cheers on his father after his quarter-final win over Wright
At the end of the match, Ponting praised the crowd but called for more.
“Listen (to the crowd), in the first four sets, I was being unrealistic but you have to do better,” Ponting said. Sky Sports.
“I told myself just trying to refocus. Every game I focused on this opponent. The crowd, unbelievable again.
“Let's go mental bunting!”
What's next?
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen takes on Thursday's first action when he takes on Dobbie, who is looking to reach the final for the first time, before Littler, the pre-tournament favourite, takes on Ponting's side in the other semi-final.
The World Darts Championship kicks off 2025 with live darts on Sky Sports, including the Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler is defending Premier League champion after beating world No.1 Humphries in last year's final – but will he enter this year's events as world champion?
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch the semi-finals and final matches live exclusively on the dedicated darts channel, Sky Sports. Stream darts and more of the best sports with NOW.
