Moment Luke Littler grimaces as he realises epic darts fightback has gone up in smoke at last minute
LUKE LITTLER was left grimacing after realising his epic darts fightback had gone up in smoke.
The teenage sensation had looked set to complete a stunning turnaround at Players Championship 25 on Wednesday.
Littler faced Chris Dobey in the quarter-finals in Wigan but found himself 5-2 down in their race to six.
However, the Nuke battled back by winning three legs on the bounce to send it to a decider.
He even looked on course to win after leaving 170 before Dobey had got down to a finish.
The 17-year-old was unable to take out the 'Big Fish', though, and was punished by his opponent.
READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER
Hollywood secured a brilliant 150 checkout to clinch the leg and the match 6-5.
Littler's reaction was caught on camera as he watched on from behind his opponent.
He could be seen grimacing as Dobey lined up his match-winning dart on double 18.
The youngster remained gracious in defeat, though, grinning as he walked forward to shake Dobey's hand before the pair embraced.
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Meanwhile, Dobey went on to win his third Players Championship event of the season, drawing level with Littler for the most wins.
He thrashed Daryl Gurney 7-1 in the last four before beating Stephen Bunting 8-3 in the final.
Inside Littler's massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age - smashing records along the way.
He has then gone on to win a host of PDC events and the Premier League title - which he claimed at the O2 Arena by beating world champion Luke Humphries in May.
He also finished his first season in the World Series as the No1 ranked player.
He has joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he's even the face of a brand new cereal.
But he is newly single after splitting from girlfriend Eloise Milburn following a 10-month relationship.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.
Littler will have another chance to win his fourth ProTour event of the year on Thursday.
His last Players Championship win came back in September, with that victory also coming in Wigan.
He will also be in action in Leicester this weekend at the World Grand Prix.
Littler faces fourth seed Rob Cross in the first round of the "Double in, Double out" tournament.