‘I’ll be honest’ – Luke Littler reacts to Luke Humphries’ shock elimination

Luke Littler was stunned to learn that Luke Humphreys had pulled out of the PDC World Championship.

World No. 1 Humphreys was considered one of the main contenders to win the Sid Waddell Trophy alongside Littler at Ally Polly.

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He faced two-time champion Peter Wright in the round of 16 It fell sensationally The match was lost 4-1.

Had Humphries won, he would have been one win away from meeting ‘The Nuke’ in the semi-finals against Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals.

It was a stunning elimination, which now leaves the field open for a new champion to step up and claim the crown.

Littler was asked if he managed to watch the match. After his 4-3 win over Ryan Joyce to advance to the quarterfinals.

In his press conference after the game, he said: To be honest, I slept through the entire evening session last night (Sunday).

“I think it was 7 to two in the morning, I fell asleep.

“And then I checked my phone. I checked Instagram, Peter won, I was like, ‘Really?’

“Then I just stayed awake for a bit and obviously put my head down.

“I think there’s going to be an expectation of me anyway, even if Luke gets through. But yeah, it’s Nathan (Aspinall) now that’s holding him back.”

Humphreys’ failure to defend his title means that Littler is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament with a live status of No. 2 on the PDC Order Of Merit.

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Littler will meet his friend and mentor Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals and will have the chance to establish himself as the favorite with another statement win.

The teenage prodigy is a year on from his debut at the 2024 tournament, where he reached the final against Humphries but fell short.

Now that the “cool hand” is out, the world’s pressure is mounting for him, and he’s done just that in the tournament so far.

And he summed up his chances of beating Aspinall and making it.

“It’s going to be tough,” he said, “but I’ve won most of them.

“Nathan only had one win over me. It’s good to get a win over Nathan.

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But this is the round of 16 of the World Championship and anyone can win that day.

“You just have to go into every game either way playing your best mate or someone you don’t really like.

“You just have to beat what’s in front of you.”

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