Grand Slam of Darts: Luke Littler must be knocked out in last 16 if any other player wants to win title, says Mark Webster | Darts News

Luke Littler must be eliminated in the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts if any other player is to stand a chance of winning, according to Sky Sports Darts’ Mark Webster.

Luke ‘The Nuke’ claimed three wins from three in the group stage to set up a second-round clash against Mike De Decker in Wolverhampton on Thursday, live on Sky Sports.

Littler has emerged as the tournament favourite after a flurry of high-profile exits, including reigning champion Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith.

Three-time Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finalist Webster believes Littler’s last-16 clash with De Decker represents the final chance to halt the teenage sensation before he builds insurmountable momentum.

“I wasn’t concerned about Littler coming into the tournament, he’s had a few setbacks, but he’s been brilliant this year,” he told Sky Sports. “He breezed through the group.

“I stand by what I said about Littler and Humphries. If you’re going to get them out, you’ve got to get them early.

“If you don’t get Luke Littler in this round, I don’t think you do, and I think he goes on to win the event.”

Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle added: “It’s Littler’s first year on the PDC professional tour. He’s inside the top 16 already. There is a lot to like.

“Mark is right to say he can be the champion come cup collection day because he’s such a tough man to beat.”

Littler has had an unpredictable year in TV major ranking tournaments and must overcome the newly-crowned World Grand Prix champion to keep his Grand Slam dream alive.

For Mardle, De Decker’s rise is a sign of the evolving landscape in darts at present.

“The sport has changed within the last year,” he said. “We’ve had outsiders winning the last couple of events, with De Decker winning the Grand Prix and Ritchie Edhouse winning European Championship.

“There are so many players now who were outside the top 32 who are now playing beautifully. Those inside the top 10 are not playing well. It’s a world-class top 10, but unfortunately, some of them are not playing well.

“Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Peter Wright, who has really dropped out. Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall are not here [at the Grand Slam of Darts], and there are others who are not at the top of their game.

“It’s just one of those periods, one of those spells, one of those phases where the bottom is so near the top.

“It makes it so unpredictable. I love unpredictable sport. It makes us [pundits] look like idiots, but the bottom line is it’s so watchable. Let’s face it, we have no idea who’s going to win.”

De Decker eyeing Littler upset

Belgian De Decker beat Damon Heta, Gary Anderson, James Wade, Dimitri Van den Bergh and then world champion Humphries en route to winning the World Grand Prix in October, and he has the scalp of Littler in his sights.

“To be honest, I have been doing that [causing upsets] for the last two or three years on the floor at ProTour tournaments,” De Decker said. “Now finally I am bringing it on stage.

“I am enjoying it, of course, because everybody enjoys winning but to me it is not a surprise.

“Hopefully I win against Luke, but he has been phenomenal since the Worlds last year.

“I will approach it the same as any other game. I will be practicing three or four hours up front. It is going to be a good game.”

Grand Slam of Darts live on Sky Sports

The knockout stage of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts continues on Thursday.

In the last 16, Littler faces De Decker, Gary Anderson is up against Stephen Bunting, Dimitri Van den Bergh takes on Jermaine Wattimena, while Ryan Joyce and Gian van Veen face-off.

Watch live coverage from 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports +.