Luke Littler is a 'phenomenon' and has presence of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, says Mark Webster

16 November 2024, 20:56 | Updated: 17 November 2024, 12:34

Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler now has the aura of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen at their peak, according to Sky Sports expert Mark Webster.

The 17-year-old barely needed 25 minutes to complete a 16-2 victory over Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts, hitting checkouts of 167 and 164 and falling one dart short of a nine-darter in a spectacular display.

Littler will seek to win the biggest title of his career to date when he plays in the semi-finals and final on Sunday with Webster describing his current form as "unplayable".

• Grand Slam of Darts live blog
• How Littler dazzled in victory over Wattimena
• Download the Sky Sports App

Webster faced 16-time world champion Taylor and three-time champion Van Gerwen when they were dominating the sport and he believes Littler can now boast a similar impact on his opponents.

"He's got to say he was just beaten by a phenomenon today," said Webster when asked how Wattimena will feel after the crushing defeat.

"We've seen Phil Taylor and Michael Van Gerwen do it in the past, bullying the opponents.

"Littler has done it there and for Jermaine, he's just got to go away, head held high, just forget about it because you watch Littler at times, and it wasn't just unbeatable darts, it was unplayable darts.

"I've been on the receiving end, and you're just going up thinking, sometimes 140s aren't enough.

"You're under pressure to hit big every visit, and it just got to Jermaine, and that's the impact Luke's got now.

"Luke's got that presence. When you used to play Phil Taylor, Michael Van Gerwen, they had that presence before they got on the stage, and he's got that now.

"He bullied him from the get-go, and Jermaine couldn't do anything about it, couldn't withstand it."

'He just gets darts'

Littler could rise to number five in the world rankings if he wins the tournament on Sunday, demonstrating one of the most spectacular debut years in the history of the sport.

The teenage sensation suffered an early exit in the World Grand Prix last month, but Webster believes that's an important lesson for a player who has only been on the circuit for 11 months.

"He did an interview after his first game and he mentioned that there'd been too much talk about those first-round exits," Webster added.

"He played alright, he just got beat. It happens, it will happen again, as good as he is, he will get beat in tournaments in the opening couple of rounds. You just get over it.

"He's 11 months into his professional career, he's still learning, but he's some talent, he's really headstrong, he just gets darts as a package, he understands everything about it.

"He's an entertainer as well, and he did it all in that game there."

Littler vs Anderson set to be 'absolute thriller'

If Littler is to win the Grand Slam of Darts then he will need to overcome two-time world champion Gary Anderson in the semi-final before facing Mickey Mansell or Martin Lukeman in the evening's final.

But Webster isn't looking beyond the first ever meeting of Littler and Anderson, who overcame Gian van Veen 16-14 in Saturday's other quarter-final.

"Who won't look forward to that tie?" he said.

"Littler will look forward to playing Gary. They're going to suit each other's rhythm.

"Even if they use all 31 legs, it won't take long. It's a mouth-watering contest that I'm really looking forward to.

"I'm glad we're going to get it over such a long format, and with both going in in great form.

"Both had big victories in the quarter-finals. Obviously the margin of score was different, but both of them have been really good.

"How can you not look forward to this game? It's the up-and-comer against someone who's been there and done it and it's got the recipe for an absolute thriller."

What's next?

The Grand Slam of Darts 2024 comes to it's dramatic conclusion on Sunday November 17 with a bumper day of action. The semi-finals take place from 1pm, with the final then at 7pm live on Sky Sports.

(c) Sky Sports 2024: Luke Littler is a 'phenomenon' and has presence of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, says Mark Webster