"2 10-darters, missed d12 for a nine and still couldn’t win" - Luke Littler full of admiration for Beau Greaves after World Youth Championship thriller

The pre-final rounds of the 2025 PDC World Youth Championship were held on Monday in Wigan, and in something of a surprise, Luke Littler did not manage to qualify for the final. The 18-year-old Englishman, fresh of his title win at the World Grand Prix the day prior, lost 6-5 to Beau Greaves in a thrilling semi-final.

It was widely expected that Littler would qualify for the final - played on the night of the Players Championship Finals. After all, he entered the event already the senior World Champion, number two in the PDC Order of Merit and winner of multiple major PDC televised titles in 2025.

Greaves though - fresh off having captured a PDC Tour Card for herself last weekend by finishing second in the final standings of the PDC Development Tour - had other ideas, pulling an epic performance out of the bag, averaging 105.02. Littler did even better with an average of 107.40, but still had to admit defeat in a deciding leg.

Greaves will take on Gian van Veen in the final, who was too strong for the Pole Sebastian Bialecki in his semifinal 6-4. Van Veen is defending his title after defeating compatriot Jurjen van der Velde in last year's final.

Afterwards, Littler could do nothing but react with admiration to Greaves' performance. "I had 2 10-darters, missed d12 for a nine and still couldn’t win. Fair play to Beau Greaves, all the best in Minehead. Some talent," he posted on his Instagram stories.

For Littler, it is now looking forward to the Players Championships in the coming days, where he is still trying to qualify for the Players Championship FInals. After all, he is currently only 70th on the Players Championship Order of Merit, with only the top 64 qualifying for this major.