Luke Littler edged past Danny Noppert in front of a noisy Dutch audience to secure his place in the second round of the World Series of Darts Finals held in Amsterdam. The 22‑year‑old, who has already captured every major title on the calendar this season, demonstrated his composure by turning a hostile environment into a catalyst for a dramatic 6‑4 victory, keeping alive the possibility of an unprecedented clean sweep of all major darts championships. The match was a textbook example of Littler’s resilience. After a tentative start, Noppert seized an early advantage by breaking Littler’s throw in the third leg, pulling ahead to 3‑1.
The turning point arrived in the sixth leg when Noppert missed a relatively straightforward 44‑point checkout, gifting Littler the opportunity to level the scores at 3‑3. The Englishman responded with a roar that echoed through the arena, covering his ears and urging the crowd to make even more noise – a bold psychological tactic that seemed to unnerve his opponent. Noppert attempted to regain his edge, missing two darts that could have restored his break advantage.
Littler capitalised, taking the next leg and then delivering a superb 95 checkout using two treble‑20s followed by a double‑5, pushing the score to 5‑4. With the momentum firmly in his hands, Littler broke Noppert’s throw once more to seal the match. Reflecting on the win, Littler said, "Coming back from a losing position to win is always a great feeling. I'm not putting pressure on myself; I’m just focusing on round by round." His calm demeanor belies the pressure of his current quest: should he capture the next two televised majors – the World Grand Prix and the European Championship – he would become the first player ever to hold every major darts title simultaneously.
Such a feat would set the stage for an even larger ambition, a clean sweep that includes the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals in November. Littler’s next challenge will be a showdown with fellow Englishman Nathan Aspinall.
"Nathan always throws everything at me. He produces his best, I perform at my best, and hopefully it’s another great game tomorrow," Littler remarked. He added, "It would be one of the best darts achievements if I could pull it off [the clean sweep], but it’s still a very long way away." The first round of the tournament, which concluded on Friday, delivered its own share of excitement.
Former world champion Gerwyn Price raced to a 5‑0 lead against Australian Brody Klinge, only for Klinge to claw back to 5‑4 before Price ultimately clinched the match. In a similar narrative, Jonny Clayton built a 4‑0 advantage over Maik Kuivenhoven, a late replacement for Lourence Ilagan who withdrew due to visa complications, before missing several match darts and eventually winning 6‑3. James Wade edged a tight 6‑5 win over Damon Heta after Heta missed a decisive dart in the final leg. Aspinall, meanwhile, recovered from a 4‑2 deficit to defeat Raymond Smith 6‑4, showcasing the depth of talent in the field.
Dutch hopeful Wessel Nijman, who has already secured six Players Championship titles this year, translated his form to the televised stage with a 6‑4 victory over veteran Simon Whitlock. Other notable results included a 6‑5 triumph for Canadian Jim Long over Australia’s Adam Leek and a closely fought 6‑5 win for cult favourite Motomu Sakai against Callan Rydz. The full slate of first‑round results was as follows: Adam Leek 5‑6 Jim Long, Motomu Sakai 6‑5 Callan Rydz, Wessel Nijman 6‑4 Simon Whitlock, Nathan Aspinall 6‑4 Raymond Smith, James Wade 6‑5 Damon Heta, Gerwyn Price 6‑4 Brody Klinge, Luke Littler 6‑4 Danny Noppert, Jonny Clayton 6‑3 Maik Kuivenhoven. The tournament schedule continued on Saturday, September 19, with an afternoon session featuring matches such as Josh Rock versus Ryan Searle, Daryl Gurney versus Ross Smith, and Gian van Veen against Karel Sedlacek.
The evening session showcased high‑stakes encounters including Jonny Clayton versus Motomu Sakai, Gerwyn Price versus Jim Long, James Wade versus Wessel Nijman, and the much‑anticipated clash between Luke Littler and Nathan Aspinall. Fans eager to follow the action can watch the World Grand Prix live on Sky Sports from September 28 through October 4, with streaming available via NOW – a contract‑free service that can be cancelled at any time.
The tournament promises more drama as the remaining majors approach, and all eyes remain on Littler as he strives to rewrite the history books with a clean sweep of darts’ most coveted titles.