Luke Littler extended his winning run to 12 matches after defying a brilliant fightback from Stephen Bunting to triumph in Tuesday's Players Championship 20 final in Wigan.
Littler was imperious in storming to victory at the World Series of Darts Finals on Sunday, and he extended his sensational winning run with a dramatic 8-7 victory against Bunting at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.
The 17-year-old was rarely troubled in progressing to Tuesday’s showpiece, but Bunting provided admirable resistance, recovering from 5-1 down to force a last-leg decider.
However, Littler held his nerve in a breathless finale, firing in a 13-dart hold to clinch his third Players Championship title of 2024, and a second PDC crown in the space of 48 hours.
“I think I’ve played really well today,” reflected Littler, fresh from capturing his ninth PDC title of the season.
“I came here with lots of confidence after winning in Amsterdam. I couldn’t quite believe how well I played there.
“I’ve really enjoyed myself today. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had on the ProTour since the first one I won, and I cannot wait for tomorrow now.”
Littler was rarely troubled on his way to glory in the North West, kicking off his campaign with victories over Adam Gawlas, Jacques Labre and Andrew Gilding.
The teenage phenom averaged 104 to dispatch Kevin Doets 6-2 in the last 16, and he defeated world number one Luke Humphries by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals, as both men averaged 101 in a quality contest.
Littler backed this up with a 7-2 demolition of top seed Dave Chisnall in the last four, and he claimed the scalp of another St Helens star in Bunting, to walk away with the title in Wigan.
Bunting – a runner-up to Raymond van Barneveld in Players Championship Five – saw off Chris Dobey and Gerwyn Price in the latter stages of Tuesday’s action, though he had to settle for the £10,000 runner-up prize.
The Masters champion followed up an opening round whitewash of Danny Lauby with wins over Jitse Van der Wal and Martin Lukeman, averaging 102 to defeat the Watford thrower.
Bunting brushed aside Dobey to set up a quarter-final clash against Jermaine Wattimena, and after averaging 101 to dump out the Dutchman, he won five of the last six legs to complete a superb comeback win against Price.
The Welshman accounted for Jose de Sousa, Michael Smith, Damon Heta and Cameron Menzies in his run to the semi-finals, having opened his challenge with a 103 average in a 6-3 success against Madars Razma.
Chisnall reached the same stage after posting ton-plus averages to deny Darryl Pilgrim and Florian Hempel, before overturning a 5-1 deficit to stun Ryan Searle in a thrilling quarter-final showdown.
Searle was joined in the last eight by World Champion Humphries, who conceded six legs in wins against Lee Cocks, Krzysztof Ratajski, Scott Williams and Gian van Veen, prior to his defeat against Littler.
Menzies averaged 108, 107 and 103 in wins against Michael van Gerwen, Wesley Plaisier and William Borland respectively, before his run was halted by a tenacious Price in the quarter-finals.
Jermaine Wattimena made up the quarter-final line-up in Wigan, averaging over a ton to topple Rob Cross and advance to his first ranking quarter-final since April’s German Darts Grand Prix.
Tuesday’s action also featured two nine-dart finishes, as Andrew Gilding and Vincent van der Voort became the latest stars to achieve perfection on the PDC ProTour in 2024.
Van der Voort nailed the nine in his first round victory over Mensur Suljovic, before Gilding produced a perfect leg of his own against Wessel Nijman, averaging 114 to run out an emphatic 6-1 winner in round two.