Luke Littler Secures Quarter-final Spot at Australian Darts Masters

In a nail-biting finish, Luke Littler edged past New Zealand’s Haupai Puha with a 6-5 victory in Wollongong, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Australian Darts Masters.Despite maintaining an average score of just 91.80, Littler clinched the match by delivering a flawless 13-dart leg against the throw in the final deciding leg.

Clutch Moments and Missed Chances Define the Match

The young sensation, who currently holds both world and World Matchplay titles, nearly wrapped up the contest earlier but faltered on a critical bullseye attempt after landing two treble 20s while aiming for a perfect 170 checkout.This miss gave Puha an opening to break back with double eight and push the game into a decisive final leg.

Still, Puha was unable to leverage having the throw advantage in that last leg as Littler maintained composure under pressure to avoid an early exit from this prestigious World Series event.

Littler Opens Up About Pre-Match Struggles

Littler acknowledged that his preparation had been less than optimal leading into this encounter.”It wasn’t my finest performance,” he admitted candidly. “Opening matches are always challenging; they don’t always look pretty but progressing is what matters.” He also revealed off-stage difficulties including disrupted sleep patterns impacting his rhythm: “There hasn’t been much practice recently-people don’t see what happens behind closed doors.”

next Challenge: A Showdown with Damon Heta

The upcoming round will pit ‘The Nuke’ against local favorite Damon Heta, who impressed by whitewashing James Bailey 6-0 with an exceptional average close to 110 and four checkouts exceeding one hundred points each.

Highlights From Other Opening Round Matches

World No.1 Luke Humphries overcame an initial setback after dropping two legs to Jonny Tata before rallying for a solid 6-3 win. Humphries will now face Mike De Decker-making his World Series debut-who dominated Brandon Weening convincingly with a 6-2 scoreline.

Stephen Bunting showcased commanding form by dispatching Brody Klinge 6-1; klinge avoided being whitewashed thanks to an notable final checkout of 161 finished on bullseye.Bunting’s next opponent will be Josh Rock, who made an emphatic World Series debut himself by defeating simon Whitlock decisively (6-1) while averaging over 108 points per visit.

The defending champion Gerwyn price also advanced comfortably with a steady win over Joe Comito (6-3).Price is set for a quarter-final clash against Chris Dobey, who staged an impressive comeback from trailing tim Pusey at 4-2 down before winning six consecutive legs and closing out at 6-4.

Friday’s Last Sixteen Results – Australian Darts Masters (Best of Eleven Legs)

• Mike De Decker def. Brandon Weening: 6-2
• Gerwyn Price def. Joe Comito: 6-3
• stephen Bunting def. Brody Klinge: 6-1
• Luke Humphries def. Jonny Tata: 6-3
• Damon Heta def. James Bailey: 6-0
• Luke Littler def. Haupai Puha: