Under the bright lights of the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, where the scent of fresh chalk and the hum of electric tension filled the air, 18-year-old darts prodigy Luke Littler unleashed a performance so ruthlessly brilliant it left his semi-final opponent, Jonny Clayton, frozen in disbelief. In a match that encapsulated the raw drama of the World Grand Prix—PDC’s grueling double-in, double-out showcase—Littler’s arrows flew with venomous precision, culminating in a 5-1 demolition that propelled him into the final against world number one Luke Humphries. But it was one moment, a blistering 140 checkout, that etched itself into darts folklore, drawing a stunned reaction from Clayton and a torrent of awe from the commentary booth. As the Welshman stood at the oche, staring blankly at the board, Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle captured the scene perfectly: “What a time to do this, that is incredible. That is ridiculous, that is spiteful darts, that is disgusting darts if you are Jonny Clayton.”
The World Grand Prix, running from October 6 to 12, 2025, stands as one of darts’ crown jewels, a £600,000 tournament where every leg begins and ends on a double, turning the board into a battlefield of mental fortitude and unflinching accuracy. The winner claims £120,000 and the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy, while the runner-up pockets £60,000. For Littler, still chasing his first title here after a humiliating first-round exit in 2024, this edition has been a redemption arc scripted for the ages. His journey to the final was a gauntlet of high-stakes skirmishes, each victory building the narrative of a teenager evolving into an unstoppable force.
It all began in the opening round on October 7, when Littler faced Dutch sensation Gian van Veen, a matchup billed as a clash of generations. Van Veen, no stranger to pressure, stormed out with two maximums in an 11-dart leg, his average soaring to a tournament-record 106.47—the highest ever at the Grand Prix. The arena pulsed with energy as the pair traded blows in what commentators hailed as “one of the best sets of darts you’ll ever see.” Littler, unfazed, responded with a 14-darter and a stunning 151 checkout early on, sealing the first set in just six minutes with an 86 finish and his signature fist pump. The second set was a masterclass in composure, capped by a brilliant 144 on double 18 to send Van Veen packing 2-0. “I am very happy,” Littler beamed post-match. “I don’t think I could have done a lot better there. I missed a few doubles starting and finishing but overall it was a good performance and Gian played his part in a brilliant game. We push each other every time, play our best darts against each other.” Sky Sports’ Stuart Pyke didn’t hold back: “That is one of the best performances ever in the World Grand Prix.” For Littler, it was sweet revenge against his self-proclaimed “bogeyman,” ending a personal curse at the event.
Momentum carried into the second round against Belgium’s Mike De Decker, the defending 2024 champion whose doubling prowess had toppled giants before. But De Decker’s arrows betrayed him spectacularly, missing 19 darts at double-in across the first two sets alone. Littler pounced like a predator, reeling off a 15-dart break in the opener and a 95 checkout to claim the second 3-1. The third set was a procession, with Littler winning all 10 legs where he threw first—his opponents never even touching a double to finish. He wrapped it in style with a 124 checkout, advancing 3-0 in sets. Reflecting in his press conference, the teenager quipped with characteristic cheek: “It was a bit boring at times because I expected something from the reigning champion and I just had to do a job. Mike didn’t play his best there and I just had to plod along.” Yet beneath the banter lay steel: “If my opponent is playing as good as me on the stage I’m obviously going to match it.”
The quarter-finals on October 10 pitted Littler against Gerwyn Price, the 2020 Grand Prix winner and a fellow world champion whose ice-cool demeanor belies a fiery competitive edge. What unfolded was an epic five-set saga, with Price racing to a 2-0 lead, his 10-darter and dominant 109.98 set average threatening to bury the youngster. But Littler, trailing and under the pump, channeled a warrior’s resolve. “I just said that it’s now or never—you have to switch on, find those trebles and not stay on the wire for the entire match,” he revealed to Sky Sports. The comeback ignited in the third set, straight legs to level at 2-2. Price edged ahead in the fourth, missing three match darts at double, only for Littler to fire back with a 154 finish. The decider was chaos incarnate: Price’s 156 checkout leveled it at 2-2 legs, but in the final leg against the throw, Littler’s 152—treble 20, treble 20, double 16—sealed a 3-2 triumph. “Wow gutted,” Price lamented on Instagram. “This is why we need to play majors in neutral venues/countries. Luke was great in patches at the right time in the end, but I lost that one again.” Wayne Mardle summed up the unreliability: “They’re quite reliable dart players generally, but they were both so unreliable. It just didn’t happen.”
Saturday’s semi-final against Jonny Clayton was where the ‘disgusting’ darts truly shone. The Welsh veteran, a two-time world champion, started strongly, but Littler dismantled him set by set. Averages north of 100 peppered the early exchanges, with Clayton snatching a 128 finish for brief hope. Yet in the fourth set, locked at 2-2 legs, Clayton left 32 after a tidy visit, eyeing the break. Littler, back on 140, conjured magic: two treble 20s into double 10, the wire singing as the dart buried home. Clayton’s jaw dropped; the crowd exploded. That spiteful sequence swung the match irrevocably, Littler closing 5-1 on double five in under 90 minutes. “Last year in this competition I went out first round,” Littler grinned post-match. “I’m in the final, so I’m not saying anything just yet!”
Now, on October 12, the stage is set for a seismic final: Littler versus Humphries, the top two on the planet, in a rivalry that’s lit up 2025 with 24 meetings already—Littler leading 14-10 overall, but Humphries 3-2 in majors. Humphries, into his third straight Grand Prix final after grinding past Danny Noppert 5-3, craves a second title after 2023. “There’s a lot of good games in the world of darts nowadays, but I still think that me and Luke is the biggest game in world darts,” he declared. Littler, holder of four majors this year including the Worlds, UK Open, and Matchplay, eyes a fifth. “Like I’ve always said, I want one of every major,” he vowed. “Whoever gets off first tomorrow, wins.”
This Grand Prix has been Littler’s symphony of spite—record-breaking, heart-stopping, and utterly ‘disgusting’ for his foes. As the final dart awaits, one thing’s clear: the kid from Warrington isn’t just playing darts; he’s rewriting its soul.
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