Luke Littler hopes to avoid Beau Greaves in World Darts Championship
Luke Littler has expressed his desire to avoid a first-round match against Beau Greaves as he prepares to defend his world title at Alexandra Palace next month, following his victory at the Players Championship on Sunday night, reports BritPanorama.
The 18-year-old, who became the youngest champion in PDC history at the beginning of 2025, returns to the World Darts Championship as the top seed and the leading name among 40 automatic qualifiers for the 2025/26 tournament.
This year’s championship format introduces significant changes. All competitors, including the top 32 seeds, must start in the opening round, where they will face opponents ranked between 65 and 128 in the world. This adjustment could lead to immediate heavyweight clashes, one of which has captured Littler’s attention.
Greaves, who has dominated the Women’s Series, defeated Littler 6-5 in the semi-finals of the PDC World Youth Championship in October, positioning her as a potential opening opponent for the defending champion. Littler is clearly hesitant about this possibility.
“We’ll have to see who I draw,” he stated. “There are loads of huge names. Us seeds start in round one, so it’s two matches before Christmas. I wouldn’t fancy Beau Greaves first up – I don’t think many people would want me to win.”
Littler’s comments follow his latest achievement: winning the Players Championship with an 11-8 victory over Nathan Aspinall. Speaking to ITV, he acknowledged the emotional weight of his journey. “It wasn’t easy to reach this final, but I’m proud to tick this one off the list. Now there are only two more [the European Championship and World Masters] to go [for the clean sweep],” he said.
While the teenager has made a name for himself by breaking records since late 2023, he conveyed that he is beginning to embrace moments of emotion, which he once repressed. “I know I played brilliantly throughout the tournament and I’m glad I got the job done,” Littler noted. “Early on in my career I was just being myself, but now I’m starting to let out a bit more emotion and it’s paying off.”
Meanwhile, as Littler prepares to defend his title, Greaves has recently faced disappointment in major youth competition, with Gian van Veen successfully defending his World Youth Championship title against her with a 6-3 victory. Nevertheless, her performance throughout the season has established her as one of the most formidable unseeded players in the draw.
The World Darts Championship runs from December 11 to January 3, where Littler aims to replicate his historic success from last year, having triumphed over Michael van Gerwen in January after suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Luke Humphries a year prior. Whether Greaves appears on his path from the outset remains uncertain.
In the world of darts, where fortunes can shift in an instant, the stage is set for yet another dramatic tournament, with young champions poised to make their mark and rivalries simmering beneath the surface.
