Luke Littler survives early scare against Danny Noppert in Amsterdam
World number one Luke Littler survived a first-round scare in the World Series of Darts Finals before recovering from 3-1 down to beat Dutchman Danny Nopport 6-4.
Faced with a partisan crowd in Amsterdam, the 19-year-old reigning world champion lost three legs in succession but the turning point came after his opponent made a mess of a 44 checkout, allowing the Englishman to level things up at 3-3.
Littler let out a huge roar and put his hands to his ears as he was booed and repeated that reaction when, with the score at 4-4, he produced a 95 checkout to edge ahead again to put him within sight of victory.
He now faces compatriot Nathan Aspinall, a 6-4 winner against Raymond Smith, while former World Series Final winner Gerwyn Price, who almost blew a 5-0 lead before eventually winning 6-4 against Brody Klinge, will take on Jim Long after his a last-leg victory over Adam Leek.
Motomu Sakai beat Callan Rydz by the same score as did James Wade against Damon Heta.
