Jermaine Wattimena was eliminated in the second round of the World Matchplay on Wednesday. The Dutch darts player lost a close match against world champion Luke Littler: 11-13. Dirk van Duijvenbode also lost.
Wattimena had a dream start in Blackpool, England. The Westervoort native took a 4-0 lead against the reigning world champion and number two in the world.
Wattimena maintained that lead until 7-3, after which Littler found an extra gear. This led to a thrilling final phase of the match. The eighteen-year-old Englishman ultimately prevailed by converting his seventh match dart.
Wattimena also put up a good fight against his opponent in terms of averages. The Dutch number thirty in the world rankings recorded 96.39 points per three darts, compared to 99.28 points for Littler.
Littler will face Andrew Gilding in the quarterfinals, who earlier in the evening won against Van Duijvenbode. The Englishman was a size too big with 10-5.
Michael van Gerwen will also be in action on Wednesday evening in the second round. The player from Brabant will face Josh Rock. Van Gerwen eliminated Raymond van Barneveld in the first round.
The World Matchplay is one of the most important tournaments on the darts calendar. It is also called the ‘Summer World Championship’.