Luke Littler Wins World Matchplay: Will He Change His Schedule Next?

Luke Littler stands on the brink of a historic clean sweep of all major PDC titles. The 19-year-old Englishman has already captured the World Darts Championship, the Masters, the UK Open, the Premier League Darts, and the World Cup of Darts this year. To complete the unique feat, he must successfully defend his titles at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, and Players Championship Finals over the coming months.

What happened?

Luke Littler begins his title defense at the World Matchplay in Blackpool on Saturday. According to experts, he is doing so with a strategy that strongly recalls the approach of the greatest player of all time: Phil Taylor. Littler has not played a single Players Championship event this season, skipping all 24 ProTour tournaments scheduled so far.

Why it matters for Luke Littler

Former professional Paul Nicholson sees clear similarities with how Phil Taylor structured his calendar in the final years of his career. "I think he has mastered this Phil Taylor-style season where he doesn't play a lot but peaks for the majors," Nicholson said on the Love the Darts Podcast. The former major winner also expects Littler to further extend his lead in the world rankings in the coming months.

What comes next?

Darts analyst Michael Bridge believes Littler may yet adjust his schedule if he wins the World Matchplay again. "There is still question marks whether he will do any ProTours at all. I think he might change his mind if he wins the Matchplay because he will want to win everything," said Bridge. "I know people in his team are denying that but I think he will go for it if he wins the Matchplay."

Littler's motivation should not be underestimated, according to Bridge. "We know Luke and where there is a goal he is so incredibly driven. He has not been playing in the ProTours. There is a suggestion to me that it is too late to get to Minehead. But there is definitely time." Bridge adds a caveat, noting that the Players Championship events are known as perhaps the most unpredictable tournaments on the PDC Tour.

For now, all attention turns to Blackpool, where Littler opens his bid for a second consecutive World Matchplay title against Germany's Niko Springer on Saturday.

category: player_focus