Ryan Joyce believes he can disrupt Luke Littler's bid for World Darts glory and has warned the teenager he needs to improve his game to beat him at Alexander Palace on Monday.
Littler followed up his 3-1 win over Ryan Meikle in the tournament opener by defeating Ian White in the third round on Saturday night, where the fourth seed survived a set of arrows in three of the first four sets before closing out a 4- 1.
The 17-year-old averaged 97.84 but struggled on the outside ring, missing 24 of 37 double attempts on his way to the last 16, and Littler admitted after the win that he would need to improve his final score in the later rounds.
Luke Littler will play Ryan Joyce in the final on Monday, with the winner playing either Ricardo Pietreczko or Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals
Joyce set up a fourth-round meeting with Littler after beating Ryan Searle in a final-set decider earlier in the day, with the 39-year-old confident he can cause problems for the pre-tournament favorite in his final match in 2024.
“I don't have the talent to consistently compete with Luke Littler, but I can hit the double,” Joyce told reporters after his win, where he converted 62 percent of his double attempts and guaranteed he would finish the year inside the top 16 in the world.
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Luke Littler narrowly missed out on a historic back nine against Ryan Meikle in the second round
“I'll go into the game thinking I can win the match, but I'll also feel like an underdog to win. We've seen so many times in sports that the favorite doesn't always win, otherwise it would be boring to watch wouldn't it.
“If Luke Littler plays at his absolute top level, he can beat anyone, can't he, and he'll see me off comfortably.
“If he only has a few off-sets, he'll find it's two sets after four. I won't miss many sets against him, so he'll have to play well, I think – just not his absolute best!”
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Luke Littler comments on his struggles to finish double 10 and double 20 in his match against Ian White.
A bit wary of the Joyce test
Littler smashed a dozen highs and finished the set in just 39 shots during his win over White, where he overcame a slow start and moved one step closer to a potential semi-final showdown with defending champion Luke Humphries.
“I know I can do a lot better, but in a set game, it's all about winning,” Littler insisted. “I was satisfied with my performance in terms of points.
“My doubles needs to be a little bit better, but as soon as I won the first set tonight, I felt calm.
“I'm expecting the same old Ryan (Joyce) – to hit his double for the first or second time, but I just need to take the opportunities when I can.”
Webster: Joyce will back himself to beat Littler
Littler's average was the highest recorded in three matches on Saturday night, but less than his effort in beating Meikle in the previous round, with former Lakeside champion Mark Webster believing Joyce will feel he can cause an upset.
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Watch Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries take on the Sky Sports face mash challenge.
“For Littler, he knows there are tougher tests ahead of him,” Webster said Sky Sports. “Joyce is a really good finisher and if Ryan gets those opportunities he will take them, so Littler has to be aware of that.
“I'm not saying he's not enjoying himself now, but he has a target on his back because he's the tournament favorite. Yes, he is not the first seed, but he is the favorite and there is an expectation.
“The players want to have that opportunity to play him. Ryan Meikle has done well, Ian White has done and Ryan is next in line. He will be looking forward to the challenge and if you can be the man to beat him then you can cause a real stir here.
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Ryan Joyce fought off a comeback from Ryan Searle as he won 4-3 to progress to the fourth round. Joyce also scored an impressive 113 checkouts and there was a hiccup from Searle as he missed one 20 to leave the top, all in the final set.
“Joyce is a brilliant finisher, so if he can stay in touch in the points element, he finished at 62 per cent today (Saturday). We saw in the Grand Prix where he went into the semi-finals with a double-in, double-out element, that suits him.
“He's going to back himself Ryan, if it doesn't matter if somebody else doesn't. As long as he believes he can win that game, that's what's important.”
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