Luke Littler has confidently admitted 'I'm world champion for a reason' after coming from behind to beat Jermaine Wattimena at the World Matchplay on Wednesday night.
The 18-year-old had appeared to be crashing to a shock defeat when he fell 7-2 down to his Dutch opponent.
However, Littler then produced a stunning comeback to turn the fixture around - with the youngster eventually reigning supreme with a 13-11 triumph.
After his victory, the darts star pointed to his new star stitched at the bottom left of his shirt.
SKYSPORTS
|Luke Littler has confidently admitted 'I'm world champion for a reason' after coming from behind to beat Jermaine Wattimena at the World Matchplay on Wednesday night
The star in question is a symbol of his world champion status, which he gained by beating Michael van Gerwen at the World Darts Championship back in January.
And Littler, speaking to SportsBoom, has now explained his confident actions.
“It was me saying to myself and the fans, I’m the world champion for a reason," he said.
Littler also expressed his pride at his own fighting spirit, having produced a remarkable comeback to book his place in the last eight.
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That meant everything❤️ had to dig deep to complete the comeback and jermaine was amazing. what a match😤 pic.twitter.com/fhbZKTOfhU
— Luke Littler (@LukeTheNuke180) July 23, 2025
“We can come back and for myself I always find these gears from somewhere," he added.
"I’d rather be lasting off into the lead like I did against Ryan Searle [in the previous round], but it wasn’t to be, and I pulled it out of the bag.”
Littler was then asked if he has the strongest mindset in darts.
He showed modesty with his answer, however, with the teenage talent instead choosing to name Nathan Aspinall instead.
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“I wouldn’t say so. I think one of the best players with the best mentality is Nathan Aspinall," he stated.
"If he’s five, six legs down, he’s going to find a way to come back.
“I know Nathan so well and he never gives up. He’ll always try till the end. But for myself I just said, you’ve got to find something here, you’ve got to pull it out of the bag.”
Littler will now lock horns with Andrew Gilding in the last eight.
Gilding was superb last night as he beat Dirk van Duijvenbode 11-5.
And Littler can't wait for that showdown as he looks to add another title to his collection.
"I've not felt pressure like that since the first round of the world championships," he said.
"A bit nervous but the crowd was unbelievable and it's on to my third game here and I've won two of them.
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PA
|Luke Littler will lock horns with Andrew Gilding in the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay following his victory over Jermaine Wattimena
"I want to get back on stage and right now I can't wait to be in the quarter-final."
Meanwhile, Van Gerwen exited the competition on Wednesday night - with Josh Rock beating the Dutchman 13-11 to progress.