If Thursday night at the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts taught us anything, it’s that Wolverhampton should probably come with a health warning for adrenaline spikes.
The second round wrapped up in style, and by “style,” I mean total excitement, outrageous finishing, and a teenager casually dismantling people like he’s polishing off the latest FIFA update.
Luke Littler once again treated the Grand Slam stage like his own personal playground, brushing aside Wessel Nijman with a finishing masterclass that suggested he might actually charge rent to live on the outer ring.
Meanwhile, Danny Noppert calmly booted his compatriot Michael van Gerwen out of the tournament with the sort of icy precision usually reserved for bomb disposal units.
But let’s start with Littler, because every headline writer within a six-mile radius certainly did.
LITTLER RUNS RIOT (AGAIN)
Luke Littler’s defence of his crown is starting to look less like a title run and more like a compulsory annual beating he dishes out for sport. He rocketed into a five-leg lead before Nijman even found his seatbelt, rattling in 15-, 13- and 12-darters like he was showing off new toys at Christmas.
Nijman briefly flickered into life, clawing back a few legs, but when he fluffed three darts at double during a key moment, Littler didn’t just punish him -he steamrolled him. Eleven- and 12-dart legs followed as Littler wrapped up the match with an absurd 83% checkout rate. Eighty-three. That’s not normal. That’s sorcery.
“Wessel and I have had our battles in the past, so to get that win over him was special,” he said afterwards. He also admitted he wanted to start fast for a change -something he proved by slamming the door shut before Nijman had unpacked his darts.
The win sets up a mouthwatering showdown with Josh Rock, a rematch of their beastly World Matchplay semi-final. Littler himself teased it:
“Hopefully Josh and I can have another great game like we did at the World Matchplay.” Every darts fan is hoping it’s as high quality as that Luke.
ROCK SURVIVES A THRILLER
Josh Rock’s clash with Connor Scutt wasn’t pretty, but it was dramatic enough to qualify for a late-night rerun. Rock burst out to a 3-0 lead, then temporarily forgot how to hit a treble 20, then woke up just in time to pinch a 14-darter for the win.
“I’ve never missed the treble 20 as much in my life,” he groaned afterwards.
Rock admits he “did not deserve to win,” and honestly, fair play for the honesty, because most players would blame a rogue draft or the gravitational pull of Jupiter before admitting that.
NOPPERT SHOCKS MVG
The all-Dutch war did not disappoint. Both men banged in 170 checkouts like they were following a script, and MVG even lobbed in a 160 just to show off. None of it mattered. Noppert was ridiculous early doors -averaging 112 at one point -and never allowed Van Gerwen to bully his way back.
By the time the dust settled, Noppert had a 10-6 win and eight MVG 180s had gone completely to waste.
“It was a rollercoaster. I think I coped well under pressure, so I’m really happy,” Noppert said.
Next up for him? Lukas Wenig. No disrespect to the German but there could be tougher draws to reach a major semi-final.
WENIG MAKES HISTORY
Wenig’s win over Niko Springer was tight, tense, and then flipped on its head by a gorgeous 154 checkout. From that moment, the Lukas took control of the all German Derby and marched into his first televised quarter-final with a mix of relief and disbelief.
“I don’t find words for this, this is so amazing,” he said. “The stage has not been my friend… so to go to the quarter-finals really is unbelievable.”
RESULTS
Lukas Wenig 10-8 Niko Springer
Josh Rock 10-9 Connor Scutt
Luke Littler 10-4 Wessel Nijman
Danny Noppert 10-6 Michael van Gerwen
WHAT’S NEXT?
Quarter-finals begin Friday, and the line-up is pure box office:
Friday (7pm GMT)
• Ricky Evans v Gerwyn Price•
Luke Humphries v Michael Smith
Saturday (7pm GMT)
• Danny Noppert v Lukas Wenig•
Luke Littler v Josh Rock
Eight remain. Chaos guaranteed.
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC
