Luke Littler shared that a remark by Ricardo Pietreczko motivated him to defeat the German 10-6 and secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Finals.
The 18-year-old initially struggled, falling behind 3-1 to Pietreczko, but he managed to turn the tide, winning nine of the following 12 legs with an impressive average to advance to the last eight in Minehead.
During the match, Pietreczko’s comment at the interval, with the score tied at 5-5, fueled Littler’s determination. Reflecting on the moment, Littler disclosed, “We’ve come back on at 5-5 and he said, before the caller came back on stage, ‘I was only looking forward to getting one leg and now I’ve got five’.”
Littler expressed his response to the comment, stating, “I just said to myself, ‘why say that?’ Inside to myself I said ‘you’re getting it, I’m gonna win this game’ and that’s what I done and that’s why I brought out the showboating.”
Furthermore, Littler mentioned, “It can’t be anything else but to try and get in my head. But if he is trying to get in my head I’ll do what I do, 180s and then I’ll bring out the showboats.”
The rising star, born in 2007, who recently claimed the world No.1 title after winning the Grand Slam, showcased an average of 102.67 and hit six 180s in an impressive display of power scoring.
He also recreated a memorable 121 finish that had caused tension between the two players on the European Tour last season, executing it with finesse: bull, treble 7, bull.
Assessing his performance, Littler remarked, “Obviously I am never happy when I am losing, at 3-2 down I then got it back to five-all and I just had to kick on there.”
Littler is set to face world No.9 Chris Dobey in the quarter-finals, with a potential match against the winner of Gerwyn Price versus Daryl Gurney in the semifinals if he emerges victorious. Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock will compete in the third last-eight clash, while James Wade and Jermaine Wattimena will conclude the afternoon’s session at the Players Championship Finals.