On his route to the final, Littler hit a sensational nine-darter against Nathan Aspinall – becoming the youngest player ever to do so in a televised tournament.
By James Robinson, News reporter @thejournojames
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler has won the Bahrain Darts Masters final to claim his first Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) senior title.
The 16-year-old, from Warrington, Cheshire, beat three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen 8-5 in the final in Sakhir.
He also became the youngest player at a televised tournament to hit an opening-leg nine-darter in his quarter-final victory over Nathan Aspinall.
Littler, who turns 17 on Sunday, said the tournament was the first time he had thrown a dart since his life-changing run at the World Darts Championship.
He shot into the spotlight this month by becoming the youngest player ever to reach the final of the World Darts Championship.
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He lost that match to new world number one, Luke Humphries, but made clear his ability to compete at the highest level during his sensational run at Alexandra Palace, north London.
It also earned him a spot in the Premier League Darts, which is due to start next month.
Littler, nicknamed “The Nuke”, later congratulated 28-year-old Humphries on his win, saying he “deserved it” and was the “better man on the night”.
After his defeat, Littler, a Manchester United fan, revealed to Sky News he had received messages from the likes of David Beckham, as well as current stars Luke Shaw and Jonny Evans.
The teenager, who won a £200,000 cash prize for reaching the World Darts Championship final, also said he wanted “to go home, get the Xbox back on, and just chill”.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
