Teenage phenomenon Luke Littler wins Bahrain Masters title and throws perfect nine-darter

By Homero De la Fuente and Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler etched his name into the history books by capturing his first World Series title at the Bahrain Darts Masters on Friday, just hours after he had become the youngest ever player to throw a perfect nine-darter.

Littler, who turns 17 on Sunday, defeated past three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen 8-5 in the final to capture his first PDC senior title in his debut of the two-day competition.

Earlier on Friday, Littler had opened the first leg of his quarterfinal match against World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall by throwing a nine-darter – a perfect and rarely achieved feat – in his eventual 6-3 victory, wowing the crowd.

The Englishman became the youngest player to ever throw a nine-darter and only the second player to do so in the World Series since it started in 2013, joining darts legend Phil Taylor who achieved the feat in 2015.

“You tell me,” Littler replied when he was asked by broadcaster ITV what he had achieved. “I don’t know. I’m happy to win.

“Earlier on the quarters, obviously I hit the nine against Nathan, but I played well yesterday and I’ve played well again tonight.

“No one probably believes it, but I’ve not thrown a dart since the world final. Yesterday, that was the first proper practice I’ve put in, but it’s all paid off.”

Earlier in the month, the 16-year-old catapulted to global stardom after showcasing his ability in a fairytale run to the final of the World Darts Championship before ultimately falling to world No. 1 Luke Humphries.

Littler’s consistently brilliant performances and laidback style – he spoke of celebrating his wins with kebabs and preparing for his World Championships matches with a ham and cheese omelette – endeared him to the British general public.

And he can now count his favorite soccer team, Manchester United, among his many fans after the club congratulated him on winning his first World Series title on X, formerly Twitter.

The-CNN-Wire
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