Luke Littler was unable to repeat his debut Players Championship tournament victory as he was knocked out in the second round on day two of the event in Wigan.
The 17-year-old hit a nine-darter on his way to claiming victory on Monday, but was beaten 6-5 by Radek Szaganski on Tuesday in the last 64.
The legs went in line with the throw until Szaganski hit a run of form, taking three legs in a row and a 5-3 lead.
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Luke Littler was agonisingly close to hitting his second nine-darter of the night on his Players Championship debut in Wigan
Littler hit back to bring the score to 5-5, but Szaganski stayed calm to take the deciding leg and 6-5 win.
Despite beating Littler, Szaganski lost 6-2 to Ryan Joyce in the last 32. Littler had started the day with a 6-4 victory over former UK Open Champion Danny Noppert.
Littler eyes qualification for World Matchplay and Grand Prix
Despite the loss on Tuesday, after his win in Wigan on his Players Championship debut on Monday, Littler spoke of his eagerness to qualify for this year’s World Matchplay and World Grand Prix events.
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Michael van Gerwen edged Luke Littler 6-5 in a dramatic last-leg decider on night two of Premier League Darts.
The two tournaments see the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit qualify as seeds, with the top 16 players on the ProTour Order of Merit, not to have already qualified, making up the 32 unseeded.
“Me and my manager know what I have to do to qualify for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix so, after [winning] the first event, I’m not far off,” Littler said.
“I know I’ve got about 13 or 14 ProTour [events] before the Matchplay, but it’s always good to get off to a good start. I want to try and qualify for everything.”
He added: “I know my game is there and I can beat anyone. I know I can win one of these, which I have done at my first event.
“It takes huge pressure off because I don’t want to be going into the last few [events] before the Matchplay having to win one or two of them. This has helped me even more now.”
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Luke Littler insists he will enjoy mooted celebrations after the 17-year-old won on his Players Championship debut.
Littler was beaten in the final of the Dutch Darts Masters by Michael van Gerwen the following week and has also impressed in the Premier League, reaching the semi-finals of night one in Cardiff before losing the final to Van Gerwen in Berlin.
The World Series and Premier League events do not count towards the world rankings, meaning the Players Championship events are the first chance for Littler to earn points since his sensational run to the World Championship final.
What is next for Littler?
Littler is back in action on Thursday when the Premier League Darts heads to the OVO Hydro in Glasgow for Night Three.
Littler faces Price and Nathan Aspinall takes on Humphries, while Rob Cross plays Michael Smith and Van Gerwen takes Wright.
Watch the Premier League live on Thursday from 7pm on Sky Sports Action. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW.
There’s plenty more for Littler to look forward to – see his potential 2024 schedule.
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