Luke Littler showed a rare bit of emotion during his breakthrough run to the third round of the 2023 UK Open.

Less than a year before bursting onto the scene at Alexandra Palace, the teenager caught the eye in Minehead.

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Littler burst onto the scene at the 2023 UK Open in Minehead[/caption]
PDC Tour
He unleashed his emotions after beating then world no.45 Ritchie Edhouse[/caption]

A 16-year-old Littler was one of 16 amateur qualifiers at the ‘FA Cup of darts’ having come through a preliminary event in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

It meant he faced the daunting task of three matches in a single afternoon in order to make the fourth round on day one.

At that stage, the top 32 players in the world would join the draw.

Littler would reach the last 64 in impressive style with a trio of victories on the opening afternoon.

His third win was particularly impressive with the youngster’s passionate celebrations caught on camera.

The darts sensation began his campaign with a 6-0 whitewash victory over Nick Fulwell in the first round.

He followed it up by beating Rusty-Jake Rodriguez 6-2 in his next match to set up a clash with then world no.45 Ritchie Edhouse.

A close encounter saw the pair trade legs up to 5-5 in their best-of-11 clash.

However, it was Littler who emerged victorious as a thrilling last leg decider ended with an 81 checkout.

He had been passionate throughout the final leg but let out a roar as he pinned his winning double before turning to the crowd.

ITV Sport
Littler had to win three matches in a single afternoon to reach the fourth round[/caption]

Footage of the match shows Littler pumping his fists after guaranteeing himself £2,500 in prize money.

His win would age impressively, with Edhouse going on to win the European Championship last year.

Meanwhile, Littler’s reward was a clash with fellow starlet Adam Gawlas.

The 21-year-old Czech dartist emerged victorious, though, clinching a narrow 10-8 triumph despite a 100.2 average from Littler.

Gawlas went on to reach the semi-finals before losing to eventual winner Andrew Gilding.

What events has Littler won?

Littler has not looked back since his impressive debut at a PDC major.

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Littler returned to the UK Open this year to claim the title for the first time[/caption]

He would follow up the run to the fourth round by returning to the same venue later in 2023 to win the PDC World Youth Darts Championship.

That victory came just weeks before his run to the final at Ally Pally in his maiden PDC World Darts Championship whilst still aged just 16.

As for the UK Open, Littler reached the quarter-finals in 2024 before winning the event for the first time earlier this year.

It is one of four PDC majors the 18-year-old has won in his fledgling career.

Alongside becoming world champion in January, Littler has also clinched the World Matchplay and Grand Slam of Darts in the last two years.

His stunning form on the oche sees him ranked second in the world behind Luke Humphries.

Meanwhile, the Nuke already has 22 event wins across all PDC tournaments, including the ProTour, European Tour and World Series.

He has also achieved perfection four times with a string of nine-darters, most recently at the World Matchplay last month.