'Not sunk in yet': Luke Littler calm in face of incredible sporting story
Littler - unknown to almost everyone before the competition - has stunned audiences and fans worldwide with his meteoric rise in the past couple of weeks, culminating in a final berth in his debut on darts' biggest stage.
Having defeated veteran Brendan Dolan in the quarter-finals, Littler ran through world number eight and former world champion Rob Cross 6-2 in Tuesday evening's semi-final, averaging a mind-blowing 106 to move one win away from completing one of the most incredible stories in sporting history.
Yet the calmness and noise being displayed by the teenage sensation adds a layer of intrigue to everything, with the laid-back reigning youth champion - who only dropped four sets en route to the semi-final - seemingly taking everything in his stride ahead of the biggest match of his life.
"I've got no words," admitted Littler in his post-match press conference after averaging 106, crashing in 16 maximums and landing a trio of ton-topping checkouts to cap off a mesmerising display.
"It hasn't sunk in yet. I've thrown big averages on the floor all year round, but I'm so happy to have brought that form up onto the biggest stage of them all.
"It would be unbelievable to win this title. I set myself the target to win one game and be back after Christmas, and I'm still here!
"I can't even imagine lifting that trophy yet though.
"I've just got to stay focused, relax and be Luke Littler."
Littler is already guaranteed a whopping £200,000 in prize money for reaching the final but could earn £500,000 if he defeats 'Cool Hand' Luke Humphries, who breezed through to the final via a 6-0 whitewash of Scott Williams.
The teenager will surely be able to add a few layers to that total with potential endorsements that will inevitably come his way, given his headline-grabbing displays.
Humphries is aiming to cap off a sensational 2023 campaign by becoming only the third player - alongside Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen - to win four Premier TV titles in the space of 12 months.
"This is a massive, massive moment for me," Humphries told the PDC, having scooped World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals titles since October.
"I think it's probably one of the best performances I've ever produced on the big stage. I just hope it didn't come one game too early!
"I needed to put in a statement performance because Luke was fantastic tonight. Every aspect of my game was as I wanted it to be, and it was such a special moment.
"Becoming world number one is something you can only dream of as a kid, but tomorrow would stay with me forever if I become World Champion, so my mind is fully focused on that."
Meanwhile, after Dennis Priestley won the inaugural World Darts Championship in 1993/94, Littler is now bidding to follow in the footsteps of the dispatched Van Barneveld and Cross, who both lifted the sport's biggest title in their debuts.