Defending champion and teenage sensation Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is set to face the first real test of his title defence as he comes up against 2017 World Champion Rob Cross tonight, with the last-16 getting under way at Alexandra Palace.
Littler, who turned from prodigy to top dog in record time, has cruised into the fourth round without dropping a set and says he feels great. The teenager is the heavy favourite to reach his third quarter-final from three appearances.
Former champion Rob Cross, however, has been playing some scintillating darts of his own, including a 4-0 demolition of Damon Heta in the previous round. If he can maintain his scoring, he could cause a major upset tonight in what is sure to be a electric atmosphere at ‘The Ally Pally’.
Littler looks untouchable, but Cross could shake the teen sensation
World No.1 Luke Littler will strike fear into the rest of the field, having admitted he has never felt better on the ‘Ally Pally’ stage than during his third-round mauling of Mensur Suljovic. He plays so quickly and scores so accurately that opponents’ heads often become dazed within minutes, struggling to keep up. But former champion Rob Cross, nicknamed ‘Voltage’, brings a similar high-octane style that could rattle the 18-year-old.
If World No.17 Rob Cross can stick to his own lightning-fast game and match Littler’s relentless scoring, he could pull off a shock – just like his 6-4 Players Championship victory over his compatriot earlier this year.
Path to the last-16, head-to-head and prediction
Paths to last-16
Luke Littler
First Round: Darius Labanauskas 3-0
Second Round: David Davies 3-0
Third Round: Mensur Suljovic 4-0
Rob Cross
First Round: Cor Dekker 3-0
Second Round: Ian White 3-1
Third Round: Damon Heta 4-0
Head to Head
Littler and Cross have met sixteen times, with Littler largely in control at 13-3. That includes a 6-2 sets thrashing of Cross during his breakout 2024 World Championships. But Cross heads into tonight’s Last-16 showdown on the back of victory in their most recent clash – providing some much-needed confidence in his chances against the world No.1.
Prediction
Given that he is the defending champion and has already captured six major titles this year, it’s hard to see anything other than a Littler victory.
However, if Cross can maintain his high level of consistent scoring throughout the match, he has every chance of coming through as the winner, and I feel tonight will be the night that ‘Voltage’ provides a massive shock.
Prediction: Cross to win with a set to spare, 4-2.
