Teen sensation Luke Littler was assured of a place in the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship by Brendan Dolan on Monday afternoon.
The 16-year-old, who has been playing darts since he was four, recorded a dominant 5-1 win at Alexandra Palace to lead 4-0 before Donal hit back to upset the teenage darts sensation.
Littler was buoyed by the support of the crowd at the iconic venue and completed the longest match of his tournament to date, claiming the final set 3-0 to book his place in the semi-finals.
About the victory, Littler said: I am in the semi-finals of my debut. I'm happy to come here. I earned it and my performance was great. It went well today.'
Asked what it will take to stop him getting his hands on the trophy, Littler said: “I've got a good chance – now I'm dreaming. Two games away. I'm definitely thinking about winning the title.
Teen sensation Luke Littler (above) was assured of a place in the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship by Brendan Dolan on Monday afternoon
Littler celebrated with the crowd at Alexandra Palace after booking his place for the next round
It was a tough day for Brendan Dolan, who fell four sets behind in the match before pulling one back
'I was 4-0 up and was only one away. Brendan came back and won the set. And then we had another break. But I just wanted to get it over the line.”
Littler will now face 2018 world darts champion Rob Cross in the semi-finals, who also won the tournament on his debut.
“He was incredible on his debut,” Littler told Sky Sports of drawing inspiration from Cross. 'But I was and I'm looking forward to playing Rob. I didn't really like waking up at nine in the morning. So I can chill out tomorrow and come back in the evening.”
Dolan started well and won the first two legs of the match. But the 50-year-old's fast start didn't phase Littler.
It didn't take long for him to find his feet and gain more and more self-confidence. He hit back to claim the next three legs and the first set.
Littler's first 180 in the fourth leg brought the crowd to its feet, singing 'there's only one Luke Littler'. The 16-year-old urged the fans on before winning the first set of the World Championship quarter-final.
Littler's confidence grew, winning six stages on the trot and continuing to embrace the crowd atmosphere, sometimes even showboating, asking the crowd which song he should throw for.
The victory over Dolan has extended the Runcorn-born darts player's fairy tale and brought the 16-year-old one step closer to the title.
In his opening match, Littler made history by recording the highest average ever achieved by a debutant on his way to defeating Christian Kist before dispatching Andrew Gilding in the second round.
Littler's astonishing run continued with victory over Matt Campbell, before beating five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld to book his place in Monday's quarter-final.
The 16-year-old dismantled Northern Irishman Dolan to claim a place in the semi-finals and secure a minimum payout of £100,000.
After claiming the second set 3–0, Dolan hit back to win two legs in the third set, but allowed Littler back into the match, with the Englishman claiming the final two sets, hitting two 180s to draw 3– 0 to go. .
Littler claimed the fourth set despite dropping the first leg,
His fairytale performance on Ally Pally has attracted a lot of attention, with the 16-year-old saying it's crazy to think he used to watch Sky Sports News and is now the one doing interviews for the broadcasters.
The 16-year-old embraced the crowd's atmosphere and even took selfies with fans after the win
The teenage sensation was dominant throughout the match, producing five 180s and a three-dart average of 101
He will now face Rob Cross, who won the tournament on his debut in 2018
Dolan has never advanced beyond the quarter-finals of the tournament during his career, and was also eliminated from the last eight in 2019.
The pair showed great sportsmanship after the match, with Dolan congratulating Littleer on the win
Littler told Sky: “I do interviews with Sky Sports. I usually get up in the morning and watch Sky Sports News. Now I'm on the news. It's all incredible. I'm taking it all in stride.'
Littler was spotted at Spurs' home ground on New Year's Eve after receiving an invite from Maddison. He was photographed taking his seat next to Maddison and taking his seat next to Chris Dobey, who is also fighting to win the world title.
Of his experience during the competition, Littler said: '[My life has] has already changed. At the [West Ham vs] At the Arsenal match recently, people got pictures of me.
“When I put my hood up, there were people walking around in front of me asking for a photo and I was like, 'What? I have my hood up, I'm trying to hide.' But it's all good that people want pictures, I'm happy about that.'