Luke Littler got the result he wanted against Peter Wright in Thursday's Premier League Darts quarter-final, but the pair were forced into awkward small-talk just moments later.
Littler, who earned his Premier League spot after a run to the final of the World Championships in January, was looking to rebound after an early defeat to Gerwyn Price last time out. He did just that, but was made to work for it, edging past Wright by a 6-5 margin.
An average of 103.99 was enough to take Littler through. There was no immediate chance to reflect on his win in Newcastle, though - and there wasn't even a chance for Wright to immediately escape his conqueror.
Immediately after the game, the pair were forced to jump into the same small lift at the Utilita Arena. Before that came the small-talk, with Wright reflecting on where things went wrong for him before offering up a handshake and a "good game".
Wright had a chance to throw for the match at 5-4 but wasn't able to seal the deal. Littler made it through by the narrowest of margins, with a 170 checkout earlier in the match representing a real highlight.
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The teenager's victory helped set up a semi-final meeting with Michael van Gerwen, the man who beat him in the final in week two. Van Gerwen got past Gerwyn Price in his quarter-final, and didn't trail even once in his 6-4 triumph.
Van Gerwen missed six darts for the match against Littler, allowing the youngster to force a decider. It went the way of the Dutchman, though, meaning Littler's wait for a first weekly Premier League win continues.
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Littler beat Wright but then lost to Michael van Gerwen (Getty Images)Despite his semi-final loss, Littler hasn't looked out of place against the game's best. He now has one final, two semis and a quarter-final, leaving him in solid shape in the quest for the end-of-season play-offs.
"I have got to be honest with you, and I know he's got the backs up of the other pros which I love to see," former world champion Phil Taylor said of Littler earlier in the year. "I wasn't really watching darts, I wasn't really interested in it and he's made me interested in watching it again.
"I even watched some of the streaming yesterday [Players Championship 2] so that's not me! But I've really enjoyed watching him. He's a great little player, he's got a great little personality and it hasn't affected him yet.
The other semi-final in Newcastle went the way of Nathan Aspinall. After losing his opener in each of the first three weeks, Aspinall beat Michael Smith in his quarter-final and Rob Cross in his semi to set up a meeting with Van Gerwen, but it was Van Gerwen who claimed victory in the final.
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