Luke Littler warning issued after nearly nailing TWO nine-dart finishes

Glen Durrant has questioned Luke Littler's longevity in darts after his unstoppable World Matchplay performance against Nathan Aspinall on Tuesday night.

Littler stunned the darting world in the first leg of the match when he pinned a magical nine-dart finish, sending the fans inside the Winter Gardens wild. Aspinall could only laugh himself into disbelief.

The Warrington-born star went for his preferred route of 180, 180, 141 before landing treble 17 and finally D15.

It was the fifth televised nine-dart leg Littler has produced in his career and his second at the World Matchplay, with this incredible moment setting the tone as he went on to win the contest 11-8 to book his place in the quarter-finals.

The 19-year-old was even millimetres away from creating more history when he pinned eight more perfect darts before wiring D15, producing arguably one of the best performances ever in the World Matchplay.

Littler averaged an eye-watering 113.68 and hit 14 180s to outpower Aspinall, who threw everything at the teenager, but couldn't live with his relentless scoring and precise finishing.

An exciting showdown against Josh Rock is the teenager's reward for making the quarter-finals as he aims to defend his title, and Glen Durrant has discussed his magical performance.

While the 2020 Premier League champion ran out of superlatives to describe him, Durrant also questioned his longevity in the sport - and this isn't the first time a well-known figure has predicted him to retire early.

When he asked if he can see Littler emulating the dominance of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen for a long period in darts, he told Online Darts: "No, because I don’t see longevity. I don’t see 16 world titles from Luke Littler.

"I think we’ve got him now for the next five, or hopefully 10 years, because he’s not a dart player anymore.

"He’s a personality; he’s someone who everybody knows in the UK, and I’m sure money will come into it. I don’t envisage me and you sat here talking here in 10 years' time and talking about Littler winning his sixth, seventh, eighth world title.

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Durrant then told the fans to "enjoy him while we can", perhaps predicting Littler to retire early due to his global fame and opportunities outside of the sport.

Luke Littler ruled out early retirement in 2025

Durrant isn't the only person who has questioned Littler's longevity in darts. In 2025, Aspinall claimed 'The Nuke' could 'be off in about five years' and the generational talent instantly shut down that possibility.

"I know I've heard that, I don't know where he's got that from - don't worry, I'll be here in 10 years," Littler said last year.

"It's crazy to even think about retiring. If I win 16 world titles like Phil (Taylor), I'll retire, but I'm not even thinking about retirement at the minute - the money is there to be won, especially the World Championship but not only that everything has gone up.

"It is all about what you're feeling, and I'm sure I'll be here for a long time."

Littler's big motivation is to surpass Taylor's 16 world titles after adding a second to his collection at the start of 2026.

A triumph in the World Matchplay, meanwhile, would land the teenager his 14th PDC major - two-and-a-half years after becoming professional.