Luke Littler ran out of steam at the final hurdle in the World Series of Darts Finals, losing out to home favourite Michael van Gerwen in Amsterdam – but not after providing some thrilling entertainment on Sunday.
Van Gerwen prevailed in front of a partisan crowd in the Dutch capital to end a two-year wait for a top-level title, winning 11-7 in the final and securing the title with a 130 checkout to seal a break in the final leg.
Littler, magnanimous in defeat, admitted he was delighted to see Van Gerwen performing at his best once again.
“It’s good to see him back,” he told ITV. “I’m having a good battle with him. If he keeps playing like that, there are going to be some good battles.
“It was a good tournament. The fans wanted Michael to win, and like I said to him, he played the best darts this weekend. It’s really good seeing him back to his best.”
Van Gerwen overcame world No 1 Luke Humphries 10-5 in his quarter-final clash before dispensing with Josh Rock 11-6 in the semi-finals so the Dutchman, who has faced a challenging year away from the sport, entered the showpiece full of confidence.
Littler, meanwhile, made life difficult for himself at almost every stage of the tournament and none more so, than in the semi-final where he needed an epic comeback to beat Gerwyn Price.
‘The Nuke’ was down 9-5 but then won five straight legs, just as he did against Jonny Clayton on Saturday, before the Welshman forced a decider. Littler, though, showed why he is most box office draw in the sport, producing back-to-back 180s from Littler in the deciding leg before finishing on D5 after Price missed a shot at tops.
Littler didn’t have it easy against Ross Smith either, progressing 10-8 against the former European Championship winner at the quarter-final stage where Price had beaten Chris Dobey by the same scoreline.
In the final, Littler recorded the higher average across the opening five legs but Van Gerwen took a 3-2 lead into the first interval, nailing a pressure shot at tops to ensure he did so.
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Luke Littler follows up a 120 checkout with a double-double finish in his World Series of Darts match against Simon Whitlock, as he provided some entertainment earlier in the tournament
Littler levelled straight after the break but MVG reeled off three straight legs to take command in the final, in front of a raucous crowd in the Dutch capital, before Littler did likewise in what was proving to be a proper ding-dong battle between one of the all-time legends of the sport and the ultimate young entertainer at the oche.
The next shift in momentum proved pivotal though, as Littler appeared to be put off with a shout or a whistle that came from the crowd as he fell 7-6 behind and Van Gerwen followed that up with a vital break and managed to hold throw from there before his 130 checkout provided a memorable finish.
“This is amazing,” said an emotional Van Gerwen after the match. “We all know where I am coming from and the difficulty I have had in the last few months. To do this in front of your home crowd it means a lot to me.
“To do this in front of your home crowd is nice, but I was also playing some nice darts. That gives you energy and joy. I’m really glad I could perform like this.
“I’ve never been away! I needed to dig really deep to do this. This took a lot of energy.
“I still love what I do, people need to understand. I love to play, whether that be Holland, England, Germany. It means the world to me.”
Sunday’s afternoon results
Quarter-final results
- Josh Rock 10-6 Mike De Decker
- Luke Humphries 5-10 Michael van Gerwen
- Luke Littler 10-8 Ross Smith
- Gerwyn Price 10-8 Chris Dobey
Sunday’s evening results
Semi-final results
- Josh Rock 6-11 Michael van Gerwen
- Luke Littler 11-10 Gerwyn Price
Final – result:
- Michael van Gerwen 11-7 Luke Littler
Live darts is back on Sky Sports from October 6-12 as the BoyleSports World Grand Prix is held in Leicester.