Luke Littler claimed his first World Matchplay title with an 18-13 victory over James Wade at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. The 18-year-old became the fifth player to win the PDC triple crown, joining Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries.
Littler's scoring power proved decisive as he hit 17 180s to Wade's six, averaging 107 and setting a new tournament record of 64 maximums. Wade, in his seventh Matchplay final 18 years after his sole success in 2007, led 5-0 early but Littler fought back to level and eventually pull away.
“It means absolutely everything,” Littler said. “I idolise Phil, he’s come here 16 times and won it. Now my name is on this trophy – and I can say I’ve completed the triple crown.” He added: “Since I started on the tour I’ve always said: ‘As long as I win one of every major I’ll be happy’. I’ve only got a few left to tick off.”
Littler, who also mounted a comeback in his semi-final against Josh Rock, said: “Five-nil down once again, I said: ‘I’ve been here before, what are you doing?’ But I managed to pull it out of the bag and win the next five. I’ve shown I can come back from 5-0 or 7-3 down.”
The victory made Littler the youngest ever Matchplay champion, six years younger than Wade when he won the title in 2007.
