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Luke Littler defeated three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen 8-5 to win the Bahrain Masters on his darts World Series debut. Littler, 16, made global headlines during his run to the 2023-24 World Championship Final in January, where he eventually lost to Luke Humphries. But all eyes again turned to the English teenager on Friday after he became the youngest player to throw a nine-dart finish in the World Series in his quarterfinal win over Nathan Aspinall and his momentum continued into the final. "I'm happy to win, I played well yesterday and I've played well again tonight," Littler said on ITV4. "No one probably believes me but I've not threw a dart since the world final. "Michael is one of the very best and I'm happy to win on my debut. "It's been unbelievable this week and I'm happy to come out as the winner." Van Gerwen conceded he wasn't at his best in the final as he became the latest big name to fall to Littler. "It's never going to be a good week when I'm not winning but Luke had a fantastic performance," Van Gerwen told ITV4. "Everyone knows what he is capable of -- let him grow, let him do his thing. "I couldn't produce what I produced in the earlier games and you get punished and that's the way sport works. Of course I'm disappointed but you win some, you lose some. "I'll get him, don't worry!" Littler and the World Series return to Europe on Jan. 26-27 for the Dutch Masters.
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