Luke Littler has played down claims that his next opponent at the World Darts Championship “cheated” during his previous match, coming to the defence of Austrian veteran Mensur Suljovic ahead of their third-round clash.
The teenage world number one booked his place in the post-Christmas stages of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship with a commanding straight-sets win at Alexandra Palace on Sunday. Littler followed up his opening-round 3–0 victory over Darius Labanauskas with another 3–0 success against Welshman David Davies in round two.
Now 19, Littler will return to the oche in the afternoon session on December 27, where he will face Suljovic for a place in the last 16.
However, the build-up to the match has been overshadowed by controversy following Suljovic’s second-round win over Joe Cullen. Despite losing the opening set, the 53-year-old fought back to claim a 3–1 victory, prompting a furious response from Cullen after the match.
Taking to social media, Cullen accused Suljovic of gamesmanship, criticising his slow and unorthodox throwing routine.
“If that’s darts, I don’t want no part of it,” Cullen wrote on X.
“Always liked Mensur away from the board but that was plain for all to see.
The old guard will say it’s part of the game but word it how you will — it’s CHEATING. That’s not darts.”
Littler, however, has firmly rejected those claims, insisting Suljovic’s style is simply part of his routine rather than an attempt to gain an unfair advantage.
“It’s not cheating,” Littler said. “That’s just how he plays. He flicks his flight until he feels settled. Joe felt like he slowed it down, but that’s his opinion.
“I didn’t see anything wrong. If he does it longer against me, I’ll just have to wait and throw my darts.”
The teenager added that he is prepared to adapt if the pace of the match slows, but has no intention of changing his own game beforehand.
“If he throws slower, I just want to get on with the game. If I need to slow my approach down, I will and try to get into it as quickly as possible,” Littler said.
“I won’t practise throwing slower at home — I just expect the worst. If it’s not as bad as I think, I’ll be happy.”
Littler also revealed that Suljovic had already reached out to him privately after the draw was made, sending a light-hearted message ahead of their meeting.
“He messaged me on Instagram before the tournament,” Littler said.
“Something like, ‘Kind regards, good luck, see you in round three.’ I just wished him luck back. So yeah, it’s happened.”
With the controversy now addressed, Littler’s focus remains on continuing his World Championship campaign — regardless of how long he may have to wait between throws.
