Luke Littler says he still has work to do on his mentality

World champion Luke Littler admits he still has work to do to improve his mentality despite his domination.

Littler remained on course to become the first player to defend a World Championship crown in a decade when he cruised into the fourth round on Saturday night, hammering Mensur Suljovic 4-0.

He produced his highest-ever average at Alexandra Palace and had a 71 per cent success rate on the double – stats that would have alarmed the rest of the field.

But the 18-year-old admits he still can improve mentally on stage, despite a mature performance against the deliberately slow play of Suljovic.

He said: “If I’m honest, mentally on stage I still don’t think I’m that good, I can lose my head a bit and throw a dart in the board out of frustration.

“That can happen, we all get frustrated.

“But I am still only 18, I can work on it and build on it.”

Asked what riles him, he replied: “Missing doubles, someone giving it large when they hold their throw, not saying who, but that’s it.”

Littler did get visibly frustrated against Suljovic when he threw a 140 instead of a 180 in an opening visit to a leg as he was desperate to produce a nine-dart finish.

“When I was practising I went back-to-back so many times, so not to do it on there was disappointing,” he said.

“Hopefully that nine-darter will come in the next few days.”

Littler’s main target is to become the first man since Gary Anderson in 2016 to win back-to-back World Championships.

But he knows it is too early to think about lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy again.

“You can only think about it if you do get to the final,” he said. “I always say this and always heard Phil Taylor say it, do the hard work and get to the final and once in you’re in it, settle down, you’ve done the hard work.

“You can only beat what’s in front of you.

“People can say whoever plays Luke Littler next is going to lose, but this is darts, anything can happen, anyone can win or lose.

“I have just got to show up and hopefully put on a performance similar to this.”