Luke Littler showed his respect to Gerwyn Price after losing to the Welshman at the second Players Championship of the year by applauding his opponent immediately after their contest.
The teenager looked in good form on Tuesday as he racked up wins over Pero Ljubic, Bradley Brooks, Rusty Jake Rodriguez and Wessel Nijman to reach the quarter-finals.
Price had a much tougher route to the last eight as he recorded impressive wins over William Borland, Danny Lauby, Jonny Clayton and Martin Schindler before facing off against Littler.
The blockbuster match between Price and Littler didn’t disappoint either with nothing to separate them with a deciding leg needed to determine the winner.
Luke Littler applauded Gerwyn Price after their match
PDC
Price held the advantage of having the throw and he started off strong with a 140, but a wayward dart on his second visit into the treble one brought Littler back into play.
The Welshman found more joy on his third visit by dropping down to treble 19, leaving him with just 144 after nine darts.
But Littler followed suit by leaving himself just 138 after nine to leave the match on a cliffhanger.
Neither player was able to land the ton-plus checkout with Price winning with a 14-dart leg on double 20.
Littler initially looked disappointed but still applauded his opponent’s efforts and approached Price to shake his hand after the match.
The reigning world champion had a better checkout success average to Price and also landed more 180s in the match, but Price’s three-dart average of 102.32 ultimately helped him over the line.
Price went on to beat Ryan Searle in the semi-finals before defeating Chris Dobey in a tense final to clinch the £15,000 prize.
Speaking after his victory, Price revealed he’s feeling more confident about his game than recent years.
Gerwyn Price went on to win the second Players Championship event of the year
PDC
“I think Chris played better than me in that final, but I hung in there until the end,” Price said.
“Today has been brilliant. Yesterday I played really well too; I’m getting back to my best. I’m enjoying the game more.
“I think my mentality and the way I think has changed, and it has just benefitted me.
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“I had a little bit of help with a sports psychologist before the World Championship, which really helped.
“There’s a lot more positivity in my game now, and it seems to be working!”
He added: “I know how well I am playing, but when it comes to the big games sometimes, I am trying too hard because I want it too much.
“This is what I needed. This win will hopefully make things come a little bit easier, because when you’re winning you don’t try too hard.”