"I was just fuming, I wasn’t happy I gave myself hell": Luke Littler reprimanded himself before thrilling Grand Slam fightback

Luke Littler continued his remarkable unbeaten run at the Grand Slam of Darts with a thrilling fightback victory over Josh Rock, booking his place in the semi-finals and moving within one win of becoming world No.1.

The 18-year-old had promised “fireworks” ahead of the clash, and the pair duly delivered another high-octane encounter reminiscent of their World Matchplay epic in July. But Littler once again showed his steel under pressure, overturning a 9–6 deficit to win 11 of the last 13 legs and keep his flawless Wolverhampton record intact.

“I knew there would be fireworks in that game,” Littler said. “Me and Josh, we both delivered. I told you guys two days ago Josh was never going to throw an 89 average against me, and I’m very happy to get over the line.”

The match swung dramatically after the second break, where Littler admitted he had been “fuming” with his own performance. “I don’t even know what I said to myself going down those stairs,” he admitted. “I was just fuming. I wasn’t happy. I gave myself hell and said, ‘Stop chasing it and just relax.’”

The adjustment was immediate. Littler consciously slowed his throw to settle himself, something he said was done for his own benefit rather than to disrupt Rock.

“At 9–6 down I told myself to stop rushing it,” he explained. “I slowed my throw down and it worked. The timing on all those shots from 11–9 onwards was incredible.”

It was a pattern familiar to those who watched him rally at both the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix earlier this year, and Littler credited those experiences with helping him reset.

The pair’s growing rivalry has quickly become one of the sport’s most compelling storylines, with yet another high-quality encounter pushing both men to their limits.

“I’m always going to have rivalries with everyone because we play each other week in, week out,” Littler said. “But me and Josh have got so many games under our belt already, and there are so many more to come.”

The crowd responded in kind, roaring both players throughout a contest Littler described as one where “either player could have won it.”

With the win, Littler remains unbeaten on the Grand Slam stage and has still never lost a TV ranking or TV semi-final — a statistic he admitted gives him confidence heading into Sunday.

“I’ve never lost a semi-final,” he said. “It’s just another major semi for me. I know the stage very well and I can take loads of positives from tonight.”

Even the group stage, he said, brought its own pressure.

“Everything is a big game. Even the groups — you’ve got to win at least two out of three. I was happy to win all three and stay unbeaten.”

Littler now faces Danny Noppert in the semi-finals, with a simple equation: win, and he becomes the new world No.1, overtaking Luke Humphries.

“Any game is important, but that one tomorrow is very important for me,” he said. “It’s obviously to stop Luke Humphries being number one, and he’s on the other side of the draw. Once you’re in the final, you’ve just got to relax.”

While some suggested it might feel bittersweet not to face Humphries directly for the top spot, Littler dismissed that idea.

“Yeah, that would be a very good game — battling for world number one,” he said. “But hopefully I put it right tomorrow afternoon against Danny. I’d definitely care about the final, but I’d be more relaxed.”

Despite his youth, Littler says he still feels the enormity of these occasions — yet the pressure appears to fuel him. “Every time I came back from a break, I was averaging 105, 110, and Josh was scoring too. I was thinking, ‘How am I drawing? How am I losing?’ But I managed to pull it out of the bag and get the win.”

He also hinted he may stick with the slower throw that helped him regain control. “I’ll start off tomorrow with that slow throw again,” he said.