Anderson and Littler the last additions to the final four - 2024 Grand Slam of Darts

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Anderson and Littler the last additions to the final four – 2024 Grand Slam of Darts

By Jacob CrossNovember 16, 20246 mins read

Anderson and Littler the last additions to the final four – 2024 Grand Slam of Darts

Darting Dominance from the Nuke

Luke Littler and Jermaine Wattimena, who had both narrowly defeated last-leg deciders in the previous round, faced off in the night’s first quarterfinal. However, Littler once again demonstrated why he is everyone’s favourite, as it was far from the close-knit affairs of the previous round of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts.

Additionally, Littler missed D12 for the perfect leg once more, but he was able to pin D6 to finish leg two without having to rely on D3. Wattimena would eventually respond with a leg of his own after the Nuke sprint into a three-nil lead. He quickly increased his advantage to 5-1 after pinning a 167 (his first of two checkouts of 160+). After the Machine Gun struck in his final leg of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, at which the Warrington Wonderkid dictated proceedings once again.

Littler averages more than 105 in his quarterfinal clash against Wattimena at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts. Credit: PDC.

The defenceless Jermaine Wattimena was hit with a 180 from the Nuke at least once in each of the first seven legs. Once again, finishing proved to be the decisive factor, as the Premier League Champion pinned two tons plus checkouts (a 103 in leg 8 and 164 in leg 10) with two breaks off throw.

In addition to finishing, scoring was crucial, as Littler would pin 12 maximums in the 18 overall legs, compared to Wattimena’s commendable 5. However, Littler would have 26 total attempts (16 of which he took to post a 61.54% success rate), while the Dutchman would only be allowed 11 attempts at doubling.

Wattimena would achieve a 92.69 average, almost 13 points below the World Championship runner-up, after dropping eleven straight legs. It will take some doing to turn off the Nuke after another brutal display at the Grand Slam of Darts.

Gary ‘the Dutch Destroyer’ Anderson

After previously bypassing both Noa-Lynn van Leuven and Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen is the latest Dutchman to fall victim to defeat against the Flying Scotsman – Gary Anderson.

The two-time runner-up Ando pinned his highest checkout in the first leg of the match, 124, and once again gained an early two nil. Van Veen responded by winning four straight legs against Ando as a result of this. It was then Anderson’s turn to pull off four consecutive legs to take a slim 6-4 lead, but it didn’t take long for the tide to flip again.

Even though Van Veen failed to regain the lead after his earlier 4-2 advantage, the experienced and past UK Open Champion was still being pushed hard by the Giant, who continued to give the match the fight that many had hoped for.

Ando on track for his third Grand Slam of Darts Final. Credit: PDC.

He was able to cut the deficit to one leg on several occasions. especially after hitting an incredible 140 in leg 21. The encounter was determined after 30 legs, even if the game did not run the entire distance.

But once again, Anderson’s expertise was crucial, as the Scot advanced to the Grand Slam of Darts final four thanks to his well-timed maximums and effectiveness on the outer ring.

The Scotsman would pin the second-highest maximum of the evening with an average just under 100, while Littler would pin the highest with 12 and Ando with 11. In what many predict could be the tournament’s most anticipated match, the two will now square off for a spot in tomorrow’s final.

But who will be the one to emerge victorious? The High Flying Scotsman who is displaying signs of being at his veteran best and finding a way to win in the close encounters or will it be the fearless and ruthless 17-years-old Luke Littler?