LUKE LITTLER was dumped out of the Nordic Darts Masters by Nathan Aspinall.
The reigning world champion headed to Copenhagen as the pre-tournament favourite.
His close pal Nathan Aspinall beat him 6-3 in the quarter-finals[/caption]
But he suffered a shock 6-3 defeat by his stablemate in the quarter-finals.
This was Littler’s first match against a top player since losing to Luke Humphries in the Premier League final last month.
And The Nuke was unable to become a Great Dane this weekend in Denmark.
Aspinall, 33, roared in delight when he took out double 16.
And he gave it back to those in the crowd who had booed him on the oche.
For the Stockpot thrower, who is ranked sixth in the world, it was only his SECOND win over the teen sensation in a professional capacity in 16 meetings.
It is the first success over the sport’s biggest name since a Prem night in Nottingham in March 2024.
World No2 Littler won the overall World Series of Darts crown last year in Amsterdam.
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Yet this loss is not exactly ideal preparation for his debut appearance at the PDC World Cup of Darts in England colours.
Littler will team up with Humphries later this week.
The World Cup takes place at Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle, with defending champions England given a bye to the second round.
Humphries teamed up with Michael Smith to lift the trophy in 2024.
