Luke Littler produced an astounding display to regain his world title, winning 21 of the last 24 legs in a 7-1 demolition of Gian van Veen. The winning moment seemed to drain all the strength from his body as he leaned against the drinks table, clasped his face in his hands, and cried.
Before the double world champion, social media phenomenon, and commercial giant, there was Luke Littler the darts obsessive. 'My family and friends have supported me all the way. This is why we’re here, and it’s not stopping anytime soon. We’re still on this rollercoaster,' he said after the match.
Van Veen, who becomes world No3 and Dutch No1, acknowledged Littler's dominance: 'The scoring maybe wasn’t my best game of the tournament. Luke wasn’t in the mood to give me any more chances. He played phenomenally; he put me under pressure every leg.'
Littler becomes the first man to win £1m in a single world championship, doubling his prize money from round one. 'It’s life-changing for everyone,' he said. 'And it has increased the gap to Luke Humphries, so I'm clear at No1.'
The teenager's performance drew comparisons to Phil Taylor's peak, with one pundit noting: 'Gian’s average would’ve won three finals since 2015. And he’s had the most one-sided beating since 2009.'
