Luke Littler booked his place in a third consecutive PDC World Darts Championship final after a commanding semi final victory over Ryan Searle at Alexandra Palace. The reigning world champion will face European champion Gian van Veen in Saturday’s final, which is set to conclude the tournament.
Littler recovered from losing the opening set to defeat 20th seed Searle 6 1, producing a high quality performance that included a match average of 105.35. The 18 year old delivered consistent scoring throughout the contest and hit 10 maximums, while maintaining a doubles success rate of 58.8 percent.
The result extended Littler’s unbeaten record in major ranking tournament semi finals to 11 matches and ensured he has still not lost a match at Alexandra Palace before reaching a final. He also became only the fourth player to reach three consecutive PDC World Championship finals, following Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley and Gary Anderson. Littler is now aiming to become the fourth player to retain the PDC world title, after Anderson achieved back to back victories in 2015 and 2016.
Searle made a positive start in his first World Championship semi final, taking the opening set with accurate finishing. However, Littler responded quickly with an 11 dart leg to level the match, before taking control through sustained pressure and heavy scoring. A key moment came in the third set when Searle struggled at the start of a deciding leg, allowing Littler to establish an advantage that he did not relinquish.
Despite two near misses at a nine darter and a 170 checkout from Searle, Littler maintained his composure to close out the match in seven sets. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Littler said he was pleased with his performance and focused on making further improvements ahead of the final.
Earlier in the evening, Gian van Veen secured his place in a first World Championship final by defeating two time champion Gary Anderson 6 3 in a high quality semi final. Both players averaged close to 103 in a match that featured multiple 170 checkouts and a series of decisive legs.
Anderson won the opening set with a 104 average, but Van Veen responded immediately, showing no signs of nerves in his first appearance at this stage of the tournament. The Dutchman levelled the match with a 117 checkout and continued to apply pressure with consistent finishing and strong scoring.
The contest reached a dramatic peak in the fifth set, where both players produced exceptional darts. Van Veen won the set despite Anderson averaging more than 117, highlighting the fine margins between the two. Anderson fought back to reduce the deficit to 4 3, but Van Veen held firm, closing out the match with a 13 dart leg to confirm his place in the final.
Van Veen, who had not previously won a match at the World Darts Championship before this tournament, described reaching the final as an unexpected achievement in his post match interview with Sky Sports.
The PDC World Darts Championship final will see Luke Littler face Gian van Veen in a best of 13 sets contest on Saturday evening, with the match scheduled to begin at 20.00 GMT at Alexandra Palace.
