Luke Littler shared that a remark from Ricardo Pietreczko motivated him to defeat the German 10-6 and secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Finals. Despite initially trailing 3-1 to Pietreczko, Littler, also known as ‘The Nuke,’ staged a comeback, winning nine out of the next 12 legs with an impressive average to advance to the last eight in Minehead.
The turning point in the match came when Pietreczko made a comment during the interval at 5-5, fueling Littler’s determination to succeed. Reflecting on the moment, Littler mentioned, “We came back on at 5-5 and he said, before the caller returned on stage, ‘I was only looking forward to getting one leg and now I’ve got five.’ I just said to myself, ‘why say that?’ Inside, I told myself ‘you’re getting it, I’m gonna win this game,’ and that’s exactly what happened, leading to some celebratory showboating.”
The young sensation, born in 2007, who recently claimed the world No.1 title following his triumph at the Grand Slam, showcased a remarkable performance with an average of 102.67 and six 180s. He even replicated a controversial 121 finish that had caused tensions in a previous encounter, executing it in his signature style: bull, treble 7, bull.
Assessing his game, Littler expressed his determination to improve, stating, “Although I am never satisfied when trailing, after being 3-2 down, I managed to level the score at five-all and push forward. Knowing there were no more breaks, I focused on sealing the win. While my doubles performance tonight wasn’t the best, I aim to sharpen that aspect in the upcoming matches.”
Littler’s next challenge awaits as he prepares to face world No.9 Chris Dobey in the quarter-final showdown. A victory against Dobey would set up a potential encounter with the winner of Gerwyn Price versus Daryl Gurney in the semi-finals. Additionally, Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock will compete in the third quarter-final, while James Wade and Jermaine Wattimena will conclude the afternoon session at the Players Championship Finals.