‘The Nuke’ produced a dominant display, beating Mensur Suljović 4-0 as he continues his bid to defend his title. It was a very different story for Bunting, who suffered a surprise 4-3 defeat to James Hurrell earlier in the evening — becoming the highest-ranked casualty of the tournament so far.
Littler, who knocked Bunting out at the semi-final stage last year on his way to lifting the trophy, couldn’t resist a light-hearted jab during his post-match press conference.
He joked that the “Luke Littler effect” is still going strong at the tournament, adding that the “Bunting effect” might not be having quite the same impact this time around. With a grin, he even suggested he might have the biggest fanbase — before quickly apologising in jest.
Looking ahead, Littler will face either Damon Heta or Rob Cross in the fourth round — and he sent out a clear warning with his latest performance.
He described the match as feeling like a “free hit,” revealing he had no nerves and was able to let his darts do the talking. After averaging 109 in the opening set and finishing with an impressive 71% on doubles, Littler said he was delighted with his level.
The teenage star added that winning without dropping a set is always satisfying, but insisted nothing is guaranteed in darts.
No matter the hype around him, Littler stressed that anyone can win or lose on the day — and his focus remains simple: turn up for the next match and deliver another top performance.
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