Luke Littler has responded to claims that his next opponent at the World Darts Championship 'cheated' in his previous match.
Teenage darts star Littler secured his place in the post-Christmas third round of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship with a straight-sets victory at Alexandra Palace on Sunday.
The 19-year-old got the better of Wales' David Davies in the second round, having also picked up a 3-0 win over Lutihuania's Darius Labanauskas 3-0 in the opening round.
Littler will return to the oche after Christmas in the afternoon session on December 27 to face Austrian player Mensur Suljovic in his third round match.
Advert
But before the match gets underway, the world number one has spoken out to address 'cheating' claims that have emerged from Suljovic's previous opponent.
In his second round match, Suljovic played English darts star Joe Cullen and, despite losing the first set, fought back to win the match 3-1.
Post-match, Cullen lashed out at Suljovic on social media, criticising the world no.60 for his unique and unorthodox throwing style that saw him take his time with each dart.
Posting on X, Cullen wrote: '"If that’s darts , I don’t want no part of it! "Always liked Mensur away from the board but that was plain for all to see! I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way.
"The old guard will say it’s part of the game but word it how you will - it’s CHEATING! That’s not darts."
However, ahead of his match with Suljovic, Littler has spoken out to defend the 53-year-old, disagreeing with Cullen's controversial 'cheating' claims.
“It’s not cheating,” Littler said. “That’s just how he plays. He flicks his flight until he feels settled. Joe felt like he slowed it down, but that’s his opinion.”
- If you want to see even more from SPORTbible, make us a preferred source on Google.
“I didn’t see anything wrong,” he said. “If he does it longer against me, I just have to wait for him and throw my darts.”
Asked about his preparations for the match, Littler added: “If he throws slower, I just want to get on with the game. If I need to slow my approach down, I will and just try to get into the game as quick as possible.
"I won’t practise throwing slower at home, I just expect the worst — and if it’s not as bad as I think, I’ll be happy.”
Littler also revealed that before a dart was thrown at the World Championship, Suljovic has cheekily reached out to him on social media shortly after the draw was made.
“He messaged me on Instagram before the tournament,” Littler revealed.
“Something like, ‘Kind regards, good luck, see you in round three.’ I just said good luck back. So yeah, it’s happened.”
Topics: Luke Littler, World Darts Championship, Darts
Ben McCrum