Luke Littler is targeted by Michael van Gerwen after the teenager loses in the Premier League.
Luke Littler was the target of a sly jab from Michael van Gerwen after their meeting on Night Nine of the 2024 Premier League. On Thursday night in Belfast, Littler defeated the three-time world champion 6-3, but Van Gerwen doesn’t think the youngster’s wins have been “convincing.”
In his first match of the evening, Van Gerwen defeated former world champion Michael Smith 6-4. However, the 17-year-old had a higher average and more 180s completed in the semifinal match against Littler, and the Dutch ace could not find a rhythm.
After the loss, Van Gerwen spoke with Viaplay and said, “That match went bad right from the start. I’m simply too focused on him to focus on my own game since I can tell he’s uncomfortable.
“However, it contained more still. Now that I’ve played Luke six times, I’ve won three and lost three. Whenever he triumphs over me, it never feels genuine; however, when he defeats other players, it is. The fact that it didn’t work out tonight is still a drawback, but I just have to take advantage of it.”
Given that he was second best against Littler for the whole of the match, Van Gerwen made a daring statement. Furthermore, Littler surpassed Van Gerwen in the standings, casting doubt on the 34-year-old’s chances of making the playoffs. Littler went on to defeat Nathan Aspinall in the championship match.
“It’s still fighting for the playoffs,” he remarked in reference to the race to place among the top four. You can also tell that everyone is more determined to oppose me. But don’t use that as an excuse; all I need to do is make sure I’m ready, and then nothing should go wrong.”
Van Gerwen may have only managed a single victory on Night Nine, but at least he broke his string of four consecutive first-round eliminations. Van Gerwen had not triumphed in a quarterfinal match since February 22nd, when he defeated Smith.
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