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Ipswich darts player Ryan Meikle edged past Fallon Sherrock in a tense 3-2 victory at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday night, setting up a second-round clash with teenage sensation Luke Littler.
Why it matters: Despite falling behind early in the match, world number 62 Meikle fought back to deny the partisan crowd of a blockbuster Littler-Sherrock second-round encounter.
The big picture: The victory sets up a Saturday showdown with 17-year-old Littler, who returns to Alexandra Palace for the first time since his remarkable run to last year's final.
By the numbers:
Meikle averaged 83.53 in his victory
He came back from 1-0 down to win 3-2
This is Sherrock's fourth consecutive first-round exit
What they're saying: "I'm very relieved to get over the line, it was a massive battle," Meikle said. "Fallon didn't play like she did a few years ago, and I was expecting the best version of Fallon."
Looking ahead: Meikle believes the pressure will be off when he faces fourth seed Littler: "I'm not going to tell you I'm going to win, but I've got a chance, so you never know."
Between the lines: The Ipswich player acknowledged he will need to improve his performance to challenge Littler, saying: "I don't think he has any weaknesses, to be fair. I think he's unbelievable."
The bottom line: While Meikle ended hopes of what would have been a headline-grabbing Littler-Sherrock clash, the Ipswich player now has the opportunity to make headlines of his own against one of darts' biggest stars on Saturday.
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