Luke Littler shared that a comment from Ricardo Pietreczko motivated him to defeat the German 10-6 and secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Finals.
Initially trailing 3-1 against German No.2 Pietreczko in a match to 10, the 18-year-old Littler staged a comeback, winning nine out of the next 12 legs with an impressive average to advance to the last eight in Minehead.
During the interval when the score was tied at 5-5, Pietreczko’s comment fueled Littler’s determination. Littler expressed that the comment spurred him on, and he was determined to win the game, leading to his eventual victory and celebratory performance.
With a remarkable average of 102.67 and hitting six 180s, Littler, born in 2007, became the world No.1 after his recent triumph at the Grand Slam. He also recreated a notable 121 finish that had caused friction between the players in a previous European Tour event.
Reflecting on his performance, Littler mentioned that despite initial setbacks, he managed to turn the game around and secure the win. Looking ahead, he acknowledged the need to improve on his doubles for future matches.
Littler is set to face world No.9 Chris Dobey in the upcoming quarter-final match on Sunday, with the possibility of meeting the winner of Gerwyn Price versus Daryl Gurney in the semi-finals. Other quarter-final matchups include Nathan Aspinall against Josh Rock and James Wade versus Jermaine Wattimena in the afternoon session at the Players Championship Finals.