Luke Littler shows true colours with Michael van Gerwen message days after humbling defeat
The mind-games have already begun between Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen after they were drawn against each in the World Matchplay.
Luke Littler has sent a defiant message to Michael van Gerwen just days after his shock defeat to Robert Grundy. The Nuke was brought back down to earth after his triumph in the Polish Masters by being dumped out of the Players Championship 13 in the very first round, despite the fact his opponent, Grundy, being ranked 116th in the world.
But it doesn't seem to have affected the 17-year-old's confidence. After being drawn against MVG in the World Matchplay, he took to social media to fire a warning shot across the Dutchman's bows.
In a brazen post, he listed the venues where he'd previously beaten Van Gerwen, with check-mark emojis after each one. Then, he placed a sand timer emoji next to 'Winter Gardens', which is where the two will face off on July 13. He also told fans to "get your popcorn ready," adding, "it's going to be sick".
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A day after losing to Grundy, Littler suffered another surprise defeat, with World No. 92 James Hurrell getting the better of him at the Players Championship 14. Earlier in the day he'd sealed a hard-fought victory over Ricky Evans in the first round, but looked for from his very best.
But poor form aside, Littler showing his true confidence heading into his highly-anticipated clash with Mighty Mike will almost certainly serve him well. The pair have faced each other nine times in the past, with Van Gerwen edging Littler with five wins to four. He's also won their last two meetings.
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The World No. 2 has claimed the World Matchplay title three times, with his most recent victory in 2022 when he beat Gerwyn Price 18-14 in the final. Littler, meanwhile, has never featured in the competition, having only burst onto the scene during last year's World Darts Championship.
The reason the two have been drawn against each other is because Littler is unseeded for the tournament due to his ranking outside the top 16 in the order of merit at the cut-off point. This made it likely that he'd be paired with a top seed.
Speaking after the draw, defending champion Nathan Aspinall admitted he was delighted to have escaped facing the teenager. "I'm glad I avoided Luke, definitely," the Asp said. "I could have drawn Gary [Anderson] or Luke. It's not Littler who I thought I was going to get!"
Aspinall ended up drawing Luke Househouse instead, while world champion Luke Humphries drew newcomer Ricardo Pietreczko and Michael Smith was paired with Gary Anderson in the pick of the opening round games.