Luke Littler hits another bump in the road at the worst possible time, can he recover before heading to Blackpool for the World Matchplay?
Luke Littler returned to action on Wednesday following his shocking first-round loss to world No. 116 Robert Grundy on Tuesday.
As Littler settled into action at the Players Championship 14 event, things initially looked like they had returned to normal as he beat Ricky Evans 6-5 in the first round, but things then took a turn as he headed into afternoon play.
Fans react as Luke Littler crashes out once again
17-year-old sensation Littler took to the oche against world No. 92 James Hurrell on Wednesday afternoon in the second round of Players Championship 14 but fell to a 6-3 loss.
Luke the Nuke had improved on his Tuesday average of 79, posting an average of 89 this time round, but was still nowhere near his best.
Plenty of fans took to social media to share their reactions to the shock defeat, with varying reactions.
One fan said: “His Peter Wright arc has begun,” referring to the poor form Wright has suffered over the last 12 months, especially in the Premier League.
Another fan said: “He’s human, everyone loses sometimes,” taking a more optimistic approach that Littler’s poor form is only a blip.
Another fan took a pragmatic response, saying “Maybe just saving himself for the Matchplay! Unlike him to lose two days in a row though.”
Another fan tried to analyze Littler’s game, saying “Luke Littler’s throw changes slightly every time I see him playing. Maybe it’s because he’s not Practicing and playing only with his feeling.”
Others pointed out that maybe Littler prefers being on stage in front of a crowd, with one fan saying “Not enough audience for him, doesn’t like playing in a box.”
Finally, another fan agreed, saying “He definitely doesn’t care about these, Luke thrives more on big stages for major prizes.”
What might this mean for the World Matchplay?
With the World Matchplay starting in just 10 days, this blip in form for Littler couldn’t have come at a worse time.
While Littler is well accustomed to playing in front of massive crowds by now, doing so coming off the back of poor form might be challenging.
He still has time to rectify this spell of poor form before heading to Blackpool for the triple crown event, but the next few weeks could be crucial for Luke, as he looks to cement himself as one of the world’s best darts players at such a young age.
Regardless of the cause of this poor form, some Littler fans may be worried about the teenager’s form heading into the second-biggest event of the year.