Luke Littler marches into PDC World Championship semi-finals

WARRINGTON’S Luke Littler received a positive response from the Alexandra Palace crowd with a straight-set win over Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski to reach the PDC World Championship semi-finals.

Littler’s fourth-round victory over Rob Cross on Monday was dominated by booing from the crowd aimed at the world number one and the 18-year-old’s post-match reaction.
There was a small smattering of boos as Littler was introduced by MC John McDonald before facing Ratajski, but they were quickly drowned out by those singing along to his walk-on song and a lengthy rendition of “there’s only one Luke Littler” followed before a dart was thrown.
There were more cheers as Littler finished with a stunning 170 checkout to clinch the first set and he then won 12 of the subsequent 15 legs to defeat his unseeded opponent, Ratajski.
Littler, who is aiming to reach a third final in three PDC World Championship appearances, said there were times when he “didn’t feel comfortable” with his game, despite ending with a three-dart average of 100.04, hit 10 180s and landed 55.6% of his attempts at doubles.
“The crowd were very good tonight – it’s a new year so obviously there must be some new fans,” joked Littler in an interview with Sky Sports.
“The fans were great, I was good and we move on to tomorrow.”
He will play fellow Englishman Ryan Searle in the semi-finals on Friday, who defeated Jonny Clayton 5-2 during the afternoon session.
On Searle, Littler added: “I’ve always been watching the darts throughout the tournament and I saw how he got on this afternoon.
“He hadn’t dropped a set [before his quarter-final]. I’m the next man in his way and he’s in the way for me. Hopefully, we can have a good game.”