- Littler suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the Players Championship 13
- The 17-year-old posted one of the lowest averages of his career on Tuesday night.
Luke Littler was knocked out of the Players Championship 13 in the first round after a shock defeat to world number 116 Robert Grundy.
The teenage sensation had been enjoying a break from darts after missing out on England’s World Cup of Darts squad and was making his first return since his victory at the Poland Masters.
However, it was not the comeback the 17-year-old might have imagined after looking out of form and averaging just 79.02 on Tuesday night.
Perhaps Littler had hoped the match would be a formality, given the fact Grundy only returned to darts in January after a 15-year period away from the sport.
That was far from the case, however, as the 46-year-old put in an impressive performance to triumph over ‘The Nuke’ and secure a 6-5 win.
Luke Littler suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the Players Championship 13
Littler was beaten by world number 116 Robert Grundy, who has only recently returned to the sport.
Littler had initially lost the first two legs before recovering in the third and finishing with 86 in the fourth to level the tie.
He then moved on and secured the next two legs and was in the driving seat before Grundy countered with three legs in a row to put Littler in trouble.
Littler managed to win the crucial tenth heat, but in the decider, Grundy opened with a maximum and pulled out tops to contain his shot and stun the teenage sensation.
Grundy only earned his tour card at the PDC Qualifying School in January, following a 15-year break from the sport.
At the time, she said: “For many years I thought I could do it, but to do it is incredible. Now it’s all come out of me.”
‘I’ve been thinking about being a professional since I was very young, so I’m looking forward to being here at my age. I feel like I’m 16 again, really.
“I haven’t assimilated it, but I have done it. Now my heart is beating a thousand miles an hour. Since last year, I was a nobody, I’m a worker.
‘My boss, who sponsors me, saw something in me and supported us, and it only took this year and last year to get to where I am.’
Littler was not included in the top two English players on the PDC Order of Merit and was omitted from England’s World Cup of Darts squad.
Despite his sensational rise throughout the sport, Littler was not included among the top two Englishmen on the PDC Order of Merit, and was consequently excluded from its World Cup squad.
Instead, Luke Humphries, who beat Littler in the World Championship final earlier this year, and Michael Smith both got the better of Littler.
Humphries has earned a staggering £1,492,250 in tournament prize money over the past two years, while Smith has pocketed a comfortable £1,031,500.
Littler, by comparison, has yet to break into the top five and is still behind Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross and Dave Chisnall.