Buzzing Gary Anderson joked he might need to give rival Luke Littler a dig before they step out for their mouthwatering Grand Slam of Darts semi-final.
The world will be watching when the 17-year-old phenomenon takes on the two-time world champion with both eyeing a maiden victory in the Grand Slam of Darts. The Flying Scotsman is a two-time runner-up and is acutely aware he must be at his best to win. this afternoon’s duel in the final four.
But the 53-year-old, adored for his humour, teased he may have to start early if he is to defeat The Nuke after his 16-2 demolition job on an overmatched Jermaine Wattimena. Speaking to Sky Sports after his win over Gian van Veen, Anderson said “I watched the first match. Luke was different gravy, class. I might just give him a hard kick in the shins before I come on.”
Littler is full of confidence as he continues his rise and reckons no one can stop him. He said: “I feel unbeatable in myself. When you are playing that well, you feel like no one can stop you. Jermaine couldn’t get close. When I was 8-2 I said to myself ‘don’t switch off here keep going’. He was at me every leg.
“I know myself I’m unbeatable in legs, I’m going out in 11 or 12 darts. It feels good to get past a few rounds, get myself deeper into competitions. Obviously I’m climbing up the world rankings now. That’s another big thing going up to the World Championship. If you win by 14 legs it’s even better. If I hit another nine it’ll go down in the record books.
“There’s not too many tournaments to do it. But I know myself it’s nearly there. I’d love to go even better than tonight. I’ll just settle myself tonight. Obviously Jermaine is a very quick thrower as myself. But I was just taking that one or two seconds and then throwing.”