Luke Littler was full of praise for David Munyua's stunning first-round triumph at the PDC World Darts Championships on Thursday. The teenage sensation, who breezed past Darius Labanauskas 3-0 in his opening match last week, will now be focusing on his next challenge.

Thursday's action saw Munyua take on Mike de Decker in a thrilling first-round clash, with the Kenyan securing a dramatic 3-2 victory at Alexandra Palace. His remarkable comeback performance saw Ally Pally explode, instantly transforming him into a crowd favourite.

The full-time vet captured hearts after overturning a two-set deficit to seal an incredible win over De Decker. Remarkably, Munyua recently admitted that he never ventured outside Africa before his trip to London for this year's World Darts Championship.

• David Munyua springs shock World Darts Championship upset after killing Ally Pally wasp

• Phil Taylor fires Beau Greaves 'just get on with it' warning to darts star

The draw means Littler and Munyua could face each other later in the tournament, and the defending World Darts Champion has now publicly backed the emerging talent.

On Thursday evening, Littler took to Instagram to express gratitude to fans ahead of his nomination at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards in London.

"What a year 2025 has been and its not over yet," Littler posted to his 1.9million followers. "SPOTY [Sports Personality of the Year] tonight and want to say thank you for all the support you guys have given me. Votes open after the start of the show at 7pm."

In the comments, Littler was asked about Munyua's performance against World No. 18 De Decker, to which the 18-year-old had high praise for the Kenyan.

"Class, matey so so good watched it in the Trafford Centre while having dinner," Littler commented. The second round of the World Darts Championship is set to begin this weekend once all first-round matches are wrapped up.

Littler is due to face David Davies in the second round, where he'll be aiming to extend his current winning streak of 14 matches.

The match is scheduled for this Sunday afternoon, marking Littler's last appearance at the oche before Christmas, after which the tournament will continue.

Munyua's opponent for the second round is yet to be determined, with Kevin Doets and Matthew Dennant set to compete on Friday for a place in the match.

Before the tournament began, Munyua opened up on why it's not only the prize money on offer that is motivating him to succeed at the World Darts Championship.

"Of course. It’s life-changing [the £1m prize money]," Munyua said before the tournament. "Not only for me, but for all Kenyan darters. That’s my main goal. I want to show that there’s talent in Africa.

"We really have good players who can throw strongly. I want to create a good environment for them. Darts is on the rise in our country, and I hope to contribute as much as possible. I really want to take darts back to Kenya."