Expect the best version of Littler
Beau Greaves has a strange way of getting ready for Luke Littler. She assumes he will be brilliant.
The 22-year-old meets the world champion on Saturday night in Wolverhampton, on the opening day of the Grand Slam of Darts, and she spoke about it this afternoon. Her plan is simple. Don’t go in hoping he’s off form. Go in expecting him to absolutely smash her, play her own game and grab any opening he leaves.
She called him the best player in the world in her eyes and said just being part of the match felt special. There is history here too. The last time they met, at the World Youth Championship 12 months ago, Greaves won.
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A group of three, and only one way out
Littler, Greaves and the Dutchman Niels Zonneveld make up Group A. The Grand Slam has grown from 32 to 48 players this year, split into 16 groups of three, and only the group winner moves into the knockout rounds. Lose your opener and you can be out even after winning your second match.
Greaves admitted she had no idea about the change until recently. She found it odd and said it didn’t make much sense to her, though she accepted that you still have to win the group either way. Second and third place carry a decent jump in prize money and ranking value, which gives her something to chase even if Littler, winner of the last two Grand Slam titles, does what everyone expects.
Close, but not through yet
This is her fourth straight Grand Slam. She has won two matches across the previous three but never escaped the group stage. Last year she averaged over 100 and still lost tight games to Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, missing a match dart against Van Gerwen in a deciding leg.
Her own diagnosis is consistency. She has good spells on stage, she said, but not often enough, and she knows that has to change if she wants to go further. Most of her darts are still played on the floor, so the TV stage remains a work in progress. Saturday’s evening session starts at 7pm, and the tournament runs until November 22.
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