Luke Littler reaches Matchplay semifinals after 16-7 win

Defending champion Luke Littler advanced to the semifinals of the World Matchplay in Blackpool on Thursday, July 23, with a commanding 16-7 victory over Josh Rock. The world number one will face unseeded Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, who earlier secured his first-ever semifinal spot in the tournament with a hard-fought 16-13 win over 2018 champion Gary Anderson.

Littler’s quarterfinal match saw a competitive start, with Rock breaking throw early and the pair trading breaks to reach a 5-5 deadlock. The contest turned decisively in the third mini-session, where Littler reeled off five consecutive legs to surge to a 10-5 lead. From there, the 19-year-old champion maintained his relentless pace, closing out the match with a dominant scoring average of 109.57 and 17 maximum 180 scores. After the win, Littler stated that everything was going to plan and credited Rock for putting up a good fight.

In the evening’s first quarterfinal, Dirk van Duijvenbode built a commanding 14-6 lead against Gary Anderson, only to face a spirited comeback from the Scotsman. Anderson, mounting a late surge that included a spectacular 154 checkout, narrowed the deficit to 15-13 before Van Duijvenbode...