World champion Luke Littler scraped through to the Australian Darts Masters quarter-finals after surviving a nail-biting encounter that went down to the wire in Wollongong.
Littler needed a decisive eleventh leg to overcome New Zealand’s Haupai Puha 6-5, completing the victory with a 13-dart finish whilst throwing second.
The match began disastrously for Littler, who found himself trailing 2-0 in the early stages.
He managed to recover and establish a 3-2 advantage, only for Puha to respond with consecutive 12-dart legs that put the New Zealander ahead 4-3.
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|The World No2 looked to the floor after a disappointing start
Littler demonstrated his fighting spirit by reclaiming the lead through a 119 checkout against the darts, but the momentum continued to shift.
After his failed attempt at the maximum checkout 170, Puha seized the opportunity to level the match at 5-5.
The deciding leg saw Littler finally steady his nerves, holding his throw to secure passage to the quarter-finals.
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|Luke Littler shook hands with Haupai Puha after a tough match
The teenager’s relief was palpable after clinching double six in the final leg, having squandered an opportunity to wrap up the match in the previous leg.
His pursuit of a first World Series triumph this year remains alive, though barely, following a performance that fell well short of his usual standards.
The reigning World Matchplay champion posted a disappointing average of merely 91.80 throughout the contest, struggling to find his rhythm against the determined New Zealander.
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His finishing proved particularly problematic, with twelve unsuccessful attempts at doubles hampering his progress.
Tomorrow’s quarter-final will pit Littler against Australian favourite Damon Heta, who produced a dominant display in his opening match.
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|Luke Littler will now face Damon Heta in the second round
Heta demolished compatriot James Bailey 6-0 whilst recording a hugely impressive 109.98 average.
The tournament saw mixed fortunes for other top seeds. World No1 Luke Humphries recovered from losing the first two legs against Jonny Tata to prevail 6-3, earning a quarter-final meeting with World Series newcomer Mike De Decker, who defeated Brandon Weening 6-2.
Defending champion Gerwyn Price began his title defence with a 6-3 victory over Joe Comito, whilst Stephen Bunting cruised past Brody Klinge 6-1 and Josh Rock defeated Simon Whitlock by the same scoreline.