World Matchplay

The 32nd edition of the World Matchplay was held in Blackpool from July 19th to 27th. Thirty-two players competed for the Phil Taylor Trophy. It was Luke Littler who ultimately won the title for the first time after a final against James Wade.

Littler's tournament begins against Ryan Searle. "The Nuke" kicks off the tournament with an average of 108.92 (the highest of the entire tournament) and defeats Searle decisively: 10-2. In the second round, Littler plays against a man in form: Jermaine Wattimena. The Dutchman takes a 7-2 lead and seems ready for a sensation. But Littler fights back impressively and manages to win 13-11 after a thrilling tie-break.

Littler also struggles in the quarterfinals: the Englishman faces fellow countryman Andrew Gilding and looks set for an easy victory. But Gilding produced some stunning finishes, edging back from 14-11 to 15-14. The thirtieth leg proved to be the final one: Littler hits two 180s and wins the match 16-14.

The semi-final against World Cup winner Josh Rock looked like it might be Littler's last stand: he fell behind 5-0 and 6-1. But then follows the eighth leg: both players started with two 180s, but it was Littler who was the first to erase the 141-finish. He did so with double fifteen, hitting his first nine-darter at the World Matchplay. This nine-darter clearly did him good, as it finally put "The Nuke" in control. He took the lead for the first time at 10-9 and defeated Rock 17-14 for his first-ever place in the final in Blackpool.

He will play James Wade in the final. The 2007 winner will be playing in the World Matchplay final for the seventh time. He's in the final thanks to victories over Joe Cullen (10-3), Wessel Nijman (11-5), Gian van Veen (16-13), and Jonny Clayton (20-18). The semi-final against Clayton, in particular, is a mouthwatering match. In the final, "The Machine" takes a 5-0 lead, but just like Rock in the semi-finals, that proves insufficient against Littler. Five legs later, the score is 5-5, and Wade knows what's happening: Littler wins the match 18-13 and can call himself a World Matchplay champion for the first time.