Luke Littler fires strong message to rivals after Ian White win at World Darts Championship

Luke Littler has issued a stark warning to his competitors as he surges towards what could be an unprecedented victory at the World Darts Championship. The 17-year-old darting prodigy secured his spot in the fourth round at Alexandra Palace following a convincing 4-1 set victory over Ian White on Saturday evening, despite not displaying his most captivating form at the oche.

Known as 'The Nuke', Littler who made headlines with his final appearance last January at the tender age of 16, is now hotly tipped to pick up the crown this year. His next challenge is a face-off with Ryan Joyce on Monday after dispatching White with a decent 98 average.

Although he wasn't at his sharpest on the doubles, Littler still landed them when it counted, confident that there's more in his arsenal.

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During a press conference, Littler said: "Yeah, I was happy with it scoring wise. [My] doubles need to be a little bit better, because if he'd hit them it would have gone his way but, thankfully, he missed and I hit mine.

"From the off, he was always right behind me. If I hit a 180, he would always hit one back.

"It was just good to hit those 187s or 184s after six darts. You're not guaranteed, but you're favourite for a leg."

Littler went on: "I know I can do even better than 98, and everyone knows it. In set-play, though, it doesn't matter what average you have, you could average 50 or 60 and you could still possibly win the set.

"It's all about winning with those doubles."

After conducting his post-match formalities, Littler has been active on social media. He posted four pictures on to his