Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Luke Littler (left) said he and Nathan Aspinall "bring the best out of each other" in his post-match interview
World champion Luke Littler beat Nathan Aspinall in a dramatic finale to reach the last eight of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
Littler, 19, trailed 9-8 in a best-of-19 contest that had been close throughout and he held throw in the 18th leg to force a decider.
Needing to break Aspinall's throw to win, Littler started the leg with his seventh 180 of the match and checked out 58 for a match-clinching 12-darter.
The two Englishmen had been involved in a World Matchplay classic in July, when Littler threw a nine-darter in the opening leg of an 11-8 victory.
"The pace of the game suits us both, we're good friends and we bring the best out of each other," said Littler, who has a chance to complete a clean sweep of the PDC's premier events in 2026.
"I only played well in the last session [from 6-6 onwards]. In the first two sessions, I didn't feel confident but I managed to get it to 6-6 and I was very good in the third."
The world number one will meet former Premier League champion Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Clayton beat Japan's Motomu Sakai 10-8 and is one of two Welshmen in the last eight, with Gerwyn Price also progressing courtesy of a 10-5 win against Canada's Jim Long.
England's James Wade was the other winner in Saturday's evening session, defeating Wessel Nijman of the Netherlands, and will face Price next.
Van Duijvenbode's next opponent will be fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen, who was beaten by Littler in January's World Championship final.
England's Ross Smith and Northern Ireland's Josh Rock also won their last-16 ties to complete the quarter-final line-up.
The tournament concludes on Sunday, with the quarter-finals taking place from 12:00 BST and the semi-finals and final being played during the evening session (18:00 BST).
