Luke Humphries overlooked Luke Littler when naming the player he wants to win the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship.
Last year, Humphries took on teenage sensation Littler in what was a brilliant final at the Alexandra Palace in London.
World number one Humphries came out on top and got his hands on the much-coveted Sid Waddell trophy.
However, the 29-year-old's title defence came to a shocking close on Sunday night after he was beaten 4-1 by two-time world champion Peter Wright in the round of 16.
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In the last eight, Wright will be up against Stephen Bunting, who sealed his place with a convincing 4-0 win over Luke Woodhouse.
After his win, Bunting revealed that Humphries told him that he would love to hand his crown over to him.
The 39-year-old said: "I’m focussed on one game at a time, one leg at a time, one dart at a time, one throw at a time. It’s pointless me thinking about who I’m going to play because things happen. Luke didn’t win. He’s the best player on the planet, he’s unbelievable, but Peter, 70-odd per cent on doubles, played a fantastic game.
"I probably did expect to play Luke, to be fair, in our practice sessions we talked about playing in the quarters. I kept my end of the bargain and unfortunately Luke just fell short. It wasn’t for lack of trying."
Bunting continued: "I spoke to him this morning [Monday] and he wished me luck, he said he would love to hand the crown over to me and give me his World Championship, That means a lot. He’s a massive friend of mine. We’ll continue to practice after this tournament.
"I know I can go all the way, it’s about doing it."
The quarter-final lineup at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship:
Peter Wright vs Stephen Bunting
Luke Littler vs Nathan Aspinall
Michael van Gerwen vs Callan Rydz
Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Marcus Chan