04 January 2024 , 09:48
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Luke Littler believes he lost the PDC World Championship final when he failed to take a 5-2 lead at the end of the seventh set.
Littler, 16, narrowly missed out on becoming the youngest ever world darts champion at the Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night. He stormed into a 4-2 lead against Luke Humphries, only for the new world No.1 to take five consecutive sets to win 7-4.
Humphries was simply unstoppable during the back end of the final, but Littler came agonisingly close to taking a three-set lead. The teenager needed 112 to win the seventh set but a misdirected dart saw him hit two treble 18s, leaving him needing double two.
Littler had to check with referee Russ Bray before taking a moment to gather his thoughts and fire his final dart, which landed just outside of the target. Humphries capitalised on Littler's mistake by hitting double 14 and going on to win his maiden world title.
Speaking after the match, Littler revealed his regret at missing double two. "My mind went blank, and I stopped my rhythm, and I didn't take it," he told Sportsboom.com.
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Despite missing his shot at glory, Littler was still proud of his staggering accomplishment. The lad from Runcorn defied the odds by beating UK Open champion Andrew Gilding, five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld and 2018 world champion Rob Cross - among others - to reach the PDC World Championship final in his debut appearance.
Luke Littler is confident of winning the PDC World Championship in the future (Getty Images)Do you think Luke Littler should've won the PDC World Championship? Let us know in the comments below!
Littler is the youngest ever world darts finalist, beating Kirk Shepherd's record of 21 years and 88 days old from his 2008 final defeat to John Part. The youngest ever winner of the PDC World Championship is Michael van Gerwen, who achieved the feat aged 24 in 2014. Jelle Klaasen won the now-defunct BDO World Championship aged 21 in 2006.
Littler, who is now ranked No.31 in the world, added: "It's been unbelievable. Like I've said, I just wanted to win one game, come back after Christmas, and that was it. That's the only goals I set. So, this is just a massive, massive bonus."
Humphries also believes Littler will go on to win plenty of trophies. He told Sky Sports immediately after his win: "Luke has been an unbelievable talent - not just on the dartboard, he has been fantastic with all the media. He took defeat so well there.
"You will never see a 16-year-old kid as down to earth as him - he's just something else. He is one of the best players in the world, no doubt about that."