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Luke Littler defeated Luke Humphries 6-5 in the PDC World Masters final.
Following Luke Littler’s victory at the World Masters, Luke Humphries hailed the teenager as “the greatest darts player who has ever lived.” The win marked Littler’s first World Masters title, elevating him to joint-third in the list of PDC major title winners.
The 19-year-old’s triumph over world number two Humphries brings his tally to 11 major PDC titles, placing him alongside James Wade, with only Michael van Gerwen (48) and Phil Taylor (79) ahead.
Speaking to ITV4, a gracious Humphries reflected, “Looking back at the game, it’s hard to find fault. The only misses were those three at double top.”
He continued, “That’s the pressure he exerts. He’s demonstrated his class, never faltering under pressure.”
Humphries concluded, “In my opinion, he’s the greatest darts player to ever grace the sport.”
Littler’s victory, after overcoming Gerwyn Price 5-4 in a captivating semi-final, leaves the European Championship as the sole major PDC title yet to be claimed by the two-time world champion.
The high-octane final featured a remarkable 25 maximums, with the lead changing hands multiple times before Littler secured the £100,000 prize with a double 10 finish.
Building on his semi-final win against Price, Littler started strongly, setting the tone with a stunning 153 checkout. Humphries, however, entered the final on the back of a 5-0 victory over Gian van Veen and took the opening set.
Littler, averaging 104.72 to Humphries’ 105.51, surged to a 3-1 lead, including a 121 finish. Humphries, the defending champion, responded by leveling the match.
Trailing 3-1, Humphries mounted a comeback with 10 and 13-dart legs to draw level.
Littler missed three darts to take a 5-3 lead, allowing Humphries to equalize and then take the lead himself with a 100-plus checkout.
The world number one admitted to feeling “absolutely nothing left” but managed to “dig deep” to recover.
“I’m shattered, absolutely knackered. Going into the last break at 5-4 [down], I said I have nothing left, absolutely nothing, but I just managed to dig deep,” Littler reflected.
“I was fully focused and managed to get the job done. It has been a weird week and tough at times but this is why we battle every game and every leg, and I’ve come out victorious.
“It has been me and Luke in the first major of the year and I’m sure it will continue.”
Littler’s resurgence after the final break proved decisive, reeling off legs in 13 and 12 darts to force a deciding set.
A break of throw in the first leg of the deciding set put Littler in control, and he sealed his first World Masters title with a dart at double 10.
All four semi-finalists will return to action when the 2026 Premier League commences in Newcastle on Thursday.
Final
Luke Littler 6-5 Luke Humphries
Semi-finals
Luke Littler 5-4 Gerwyn Price
Luke Humphries 5-0 Gian van Veen
Quarter-Finals
Chris Dobey 2-4 Gerwyn Price
Luke Littler 4-0 Josh Rock
Gian van Veen 4-2 James Wade
Luke Humphries 4-0 Danny Noppert
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