A tearful Luke Littler hit a tournament record 140.91 set average as he started his bid for the PDC World Championship title with a dramatic 3-1 win over Ryan Meikle.
The 17-year-old made headlines around the world when he reached the tournament final in January, where he lost to Luke Humphries.
Starting this campaign on Saturday, Littler was millimetres away from a nine-darter when he missed double 12 as he blew Meikle away in the fourth and final set of the second-round match.
Littler was overcome with emotion at the end, cutting short his on-stage interview.
“It was probably the toughest game I’ve ever played. I had to fight until the end,” he said later in a news conference.
“As soon as the question came on stage and then boom, the tears came. It was just a bit too much to speak on stage.
“It is the worst game I have played. I have never felt anything like that tonight.”
Admitting to nerves during the match, he told Sky Sports: “Yes, probably the biggest time it’s hit me. Coming into it I was fine, but as soon as [referee] George Noble said ‘game on’, I couldn’t throw them.”
Littler started slowly against Meikle, who had two darts for the opening set, but he took the lead by twice hitting double 20.
Meikle did not look overawed against his fellow Englishman and levelled, but Littler won the third set and exploded into life in the fourth.
The tournament favourite hit four maximum 180s as he clinched three straight legs in 11, 10 and 11 darts for a record set average, and 100.85 overall.
Meanwhile, two seeds crashed out on Saturday night – five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld lost to Welshman Nick Kenny, while England’s Ryan Joyce beat Danny Noppert.
Australian Damon Heta was another to narrowly miss out on a nine-darter, just failing on double 12 when throwing for the match in a 3-1 win over Connor Scutt.
Ninth seed Heta hit four 100-plus checkouts to come from a set down against Scutt in a match in which both men averaged more than 97.
