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Luke Littler has responded after being brutally booed at the Dutch Masters, making it clear he has no issues with such hostile behaviour.
The 17-year-old defeated Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 in the Netherlands on Friday to book his place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Littler will now face Luke Humphries, who defeated the teenager in the World Darts Championship final at the beginning of the month.
Before his victory over Van Duijvenbode, those in attendance in Den Bosch chose to boo Littler.
Luke Littler doesn’t mind being booed as the teenager eyes more darts glory at the Dutch Masters
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The youngster didn’t seem too bothered by the hostile reception and simply pinched his ears in response.
And Littler, speaking after his win, made it clear he has no problem with being booed – and admits it’s something he needs to ‘get used to’.
When told how many fans he had in his corner, he said, “They were teasing me tonight though.”
“Well, I was playing against a Dutch player on his home ground so I needed to get used to it.”
Following Littler’s impressive performances so far, he has been compared to another Dutchman such as Michael van Gerwen.
And the teenager, while happy, has played down the comparisons between the pair.
He said, “I don’t really look at what Michael did when he was 16/17, but I know I did a lot.”
“I’ve played in PDC Worlds, played in WDF Worlds, reached the fourth round of the UK Open, won several other Youth and WDF titles and then Development Tour titles.
“So I don’t really look at it. I know what I’ve done and it’s a new year this year.”
Littler was defeated by Humphries earlier this month and the pair will meet again on Saturday night.
Many wanted the youngster to defeat the 28-year-old in the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace.
But Humphries stunned the crowd by storming to victory, showing why he is No. 1 in the world in the process.
And Gerwyn Price says he feels sorry for Humphries because of how Littler has stolen his thunder.
After his win over Dimitri Van den Berg he said, “If I’m honest with you there’s a little bit of regret for me or the other Luke.”
“As good as Luke Littler is and the support he deserves, it pales in comparison to Luke Humphries being world champion and winning four major titles.”
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Luke Littler was too strong for Dirk van Duijvenbode at the Dutch Masters on Friday
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As Littler tries to win a second senior title following his recent victory in Bahrain, his girlfriend Eloise Milburn will be cheering him on.
Eloise herself is an amateur darts player and is living in the UK to support her boyfriend.
However, the couple has faced criticism due to their age difference.
Eloise is four years older than Littler at 21, which has resulted in online trolls targeting the beauty consultant.
But Littler says the hatred won’t bother the couple as they are very happy with each other.
Luke Littler faces Luke Humphries in the Dutch Masters on Saturday night
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“We knew people would find out [about their relationship] But it got off to a bad start,” he said.
“As the weeks go by [the abuse of Milburn on social media] Almost forgotten.
“We have been talking for the last few months.
“I’ve taken him around the world, been to finals and people can say whatever they want.
“It won’t affect me or my mental strength.
“Now I have some people making my Instagram and they delete it before I even see it.”
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