Darts in London
Littler after Zoff in the World Cup semi-final – out for Humphries
World champion Luke Littler is heading for his second title at the World Darts Championship in London. The 18-year-old has no trouble against the Pole Ratajski. His biggest rival is eliminated.
Darts world champion Luke Littler confidently reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in the first game after the dispute with the fans in London. The 18-year-old Englishman quickly won the game against Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski 5-0 and will face compatriot Ryan Searle in the round of the last four on Friday evening (from 8.30 p.m./DAZN and Sport1).
Van Veen throws Humphries out
He defeated Germany’s number one Martin Schindler 4-0 in round three. In the quarter-finals, the man nicknamed “Heavy Metal” defeated Welshman Jonny Clayton 5-2.
Luke Humphries from England was surprisingly eliminated. The 2024 world champion clearly lost 1:5 to European champion Gian van Veen from the Netherlands. While van Veen moved past compatriot Michael van Gerwen in the rankings, the tournament ended in great disappointment for Humphries. Littler is guaranteed to remain number one after the World Cup.
Littler: I have no regrets
During his performance on New Year’s Eve at Alexandra Palace, he received a few boos, but shrugged them off calmly and later even interacted with the audience. After his round of 16 against former champion Rob Cross (4:2), Littler had a fight with the fans. “You pay for tickets and you pay my prize money. Thank you for booing me,” Littler had shouted towards the audience with a red face.
Before the duel with the Pole, the world champion defended himself in an interview on Sky Sports. “I said what I said. I was going to say it at some point last year, but the fans paid for the tickets and they pretty much pay our prize money as well. So yeah, I have no regrets,” Littler explained. The young star can reach the final for the third time at his third World Cup.
dpa
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