Darts fans can't believe what Luke Littler did in the opening leg of World Matchplay clash with Nathan Aspinall

Fans were left stunned after watching what Luke Littler did in the opening leg of his World Matchplay clash against Nathan Aspinall.

Littler began the defence of his title in style, beating Niko Springer 10-6 during Sunday's (July 19) first-round match at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool as he averaged 109.5.

On Monday (July 20), Luke Humphries suffered a shock defeat to Cameron Menzies, with the Englishman losing 7-10, while Ross Smith, Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross also progressed to the round of 16.

'The Nuke' returned to action on Tuesday (July 21), this time facing Aspinall, with Gary Anderson beating Jonny Clayton 11-7 and Michael van Gerwen losing 14-12 to his Dutch counterpart Dirk van Duijvenbode earlier in the evening.

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Aspinall threw first, but it was Littler who got the crowd going, landing a nine-darter in the opening leg, which caused the fans to go wild, while Aspinall laughed to himself in disbelief as the teenager spread his arms before cupping his ears.

His opponent even clapped the crowd and shook Littler's hand in a show of appreciation for what had just happened.

The Warrington player went for his preferred route of 180, 180, 141 before landing treble 17 and finally double 15, and in doing so completed the nine-darter. Littler also happened to be the last player to hit a nine-darter at the World Matchplay. Littler then narrowly missed out on a second nine-darter in the fifth leg, but hit the wire on D15.

Fans were quick to offer their thoughts on the remarkable achievement via social media.

One said: “Absolute freak of nature, sometimes you forget just how insane he is when you don't see him in a few Euro Tours.”

Another added: “Don't know why anyone bothers. Kid's just too good.”

A third claimed: “Absolutely sensational from Luke. He’s on another level. It’s incredible.”

While a fourth commented: “Luke Littler doing Luke Littler things!! First leg of the match and he hits a nine-dart finish. There's only one.”

A fifth explained: “He’s the best I’ve ever seen, man. It’s over.”

As a sixth wrote: “It’s terrifying when he plays like this. Most talented player of all time.”

The winner of this year's World Matchplay will receive a record prize of £225,000, an increase of £25,000 from the 2025 edition.

The runner-up will pocket £125,000, while the semi-final losers will each be £65,000 richer.