LUKE HAVING A LITTLER BIT OF STRUGGLE

LUKE LITTLER was back on the floor of a deserted indoor tennis centre in Wigan yesterday but failed his exam in racquet science.

- MIKE WALTERS

It is far too early to talk about Luke the Nuke's form dipping or the world champion's crown slipping - because it isn't.

But a 6-3 defeat by Joe Cullen in the opening Players Championship tournament on the Pro Tour left the former boy wonder still looking for his first PDC title in 2025.

Where his four previous competitive defeats this year had been decorated with ton-plus averages up to 113.91, Littler (above) struggled to raise his game against the 'Rockstar' and exited the bunfight in the last 32 with a lowly 87.81 going rate.