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luke littlerThe world number one is preparing himself for a unique challenge at the World Championships Mensur SuljovicA player renowned for his deliberate, slow pace.
Having comfortably secured his place in the third round with an impressive 3-0 win over David Davis, Littler now faces a tactical battle that could test his composure and rhythm over Oche.
The route to the tie was full of drama, as Suljovic defeated Joe Cullen 3–1 in a tense affair, in which Cullen accused his Austrian opponent of “cheating” due to his extremely slow play.
This reputation precedes Suljovic, who is widely expected to further reduce his pace in an effort to unsettle the fast-firing Littler.
Despite admitting to preferring sharper opponents, the teen sensation appears unfazed by the prospect of Suljovic’s “dark arts.”
Littler acknowledged the impending tactical duel, saying: “It’s Mensur in my way now. As a player, you just have to face what’s in front of you. You have to face the challenges that the player is going to face.”
He further said, “There was a lot of discussion about Mensur bowling slower. I just have to be prepared for it and see what happens.”
Littler understands the impact of such tactics on players accustomed to the fast pace.
“For me and a lot of other players, we have fast throws. You don’t want to stand there for a long time. Because you’re cold and you just want to get on with it.”
However, he remains pragmatic about Suljovic’s approach: “But, if you start darting slow like Mensur, he’s not going to change for anybody. He’s not going to change for me. He’s just going to do his job and he wants to win. I want to win.”
Addressing Cullen’s strong response, Littler rejected the notion of fraud.
“Joe felt like he took it slow. It’s not cheating,” he clarified. He explained Suljovic’s method: “It’s just for Mensur, obviously he takes his flight and obviously he’s doing that until he feels settled. And if he does that, obviously, a little bit more against me, then I just have to wait for him and throw my darts.”
Interestingly, the Austrian predicted this match-up by sending Littler a message on Instagram in November.
Littler recalled the conversation: “He said something like, ‘Good luck, good luck, see you in the third round’ or something. And yes, that happened and like I said, hopefully we can have a good game.”
As the darts world watches, Littler is ready to surpass not only his opponent’s skills, but also his unique psychological game.