Michael van Gerwen has vowed he will get Luke Littler after the teenager beat him in the Bahrain Masters final to win his first senior PDC title.
Littler, who turns 17 on Sunday, withstood the pressure of facing Van Gerwen for the first time before finding the decisive break to go 7-5 up and held his throw to become champion, just two weeks on after reaching the final of the World Championship.
Earlier in the day, Littler made more history with a nine-darter in the quarter-finals against Nathan Aspinall to become the youngest player to record the perfect leg on television.
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Michael Bridge looks back at Littler’s stunning route to success at the Bahrain Masters, which saw the 16-year-old beat some of the biggest names in darts as well as producing a nine-darter
Littler has been compared to a young Van Gerwen, who also stunned the darting world as a teenager.
“It has been a fantastic tournament – of course I am disappointed but that is how sports work; you win some, you lose some,” said Van Gerwen.
“It is never going to be a good week when Michael is not winning, simple as that. [Littler] has had a fantastic tournament as well – everyone says he is a new kid, but everyone knows what he is capable of.
“I couldn’t produce what I was doing in the early games [in the final]. You can only punish yourself for that. You have to make sure you get better for the next one. I’ll get him, don’t worry.”
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Check out 10-year-old Littler doing his best John Cena impression as WWE invited the World Darts runner-up to an event
Littler: No goals for 2024
Littler is only the second player to make a nine-darter at a World Series event, the other being Phil Taylor in 2015.
His incredible rise has seen him earn a place at the Premier League Darts, which begins on February 1 in Cardiff with every night live on Sky Sports.
The composed teenager says he hadn’t picked up a dart since the World Championship final and simply wants to enjoy his darts.
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Littler says he has proven he’s got the ability to win after defeating Van Gerwen in the final of the Bahrain Masters and claiming his maiden senior PDC title
“I’ve not really set any goals for this year. I didn’t even expect to pick this trophy up this week,” he said.
“It’s been good to come here with great people, a great crowd once again on my side, but I’m just happy.
“There’s no goals for this year, I just need to see what my darts do.”
Durrant: We are witnessing something very special
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Glen Durrant says we are witnessing a special talent in Littler and believes he could win the Premier League in his debut year
Littler, who will next play at the Dutch Masters on Friday, picked up his first set of darts at 18 months old. He used to play football before deciding to go down the darts path at the age of 10.
Sky Sports Darts‘ Glen Durrant, a Premier League winner on his debut, says the rise of Littler is “scary”.
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Sky Sports’ Megan Wellens says teenage sensation Litter is inspiring the next generation and creating a ‘new era’ in the sport
“We are witnessing something very, very special. We have to enjoy it. I promise myself not to talk about his age because we are just seeing something very generational,” Durrant told Sky Sports News.
“To beat three of the top five in Bahrain is really special. I couldn’t take the smile off my face. It’s incredible.
“I’ve seen him do the nine-darters, the big averages, it’s the level of maturity that he’s demonstrating to me and how he handles the situation. The reaction when he won it as well, he’s already thinking of the next tournament It’s an incredible story and absolutely beautiful for the game of darts.”
Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW