Van Gerwen sends menacing vow to Littler, 16, after shock Bahrain defeat

19 January 2024 , 22:05

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Michael van Gerwen was beaten by Luke Littler on Friday (Image: Getty Images)

Michael van Gerwen has warned Luke Littler that he is coming back to BEAT him, after losing against the 16-year-old sensation in the Bahrain Masters final on Friday.

Van Gerwen battled past Hasan Haji, Rob Cross, Michael Smith en route to the final, while Littler beat Man Lok Leung, Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price. But it was the teenager who came out on top during a topsy-turvy final as Littler romped to a 8-5 victory to secure his first World Series title.

'Mighty Mike' showed glimpses of his top form, but fell short against Littler, who averaged 97.85 throughout the tournament. It was a superb performance in the final from Littler but Van Gerwen admitted after the match that he is determined to bounce back and beat the teenager.

Speaking after his defeat, Van Gerwen told ITV4: "It's never going to be a good week when I'm not winning but Luke had a fantastic performance. 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!"

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As for Littler, he continued his impressive form from the World Darts Championship to romp to victory in Bahrain. The world no.31 lost to Luke Humphries in the final at Ally Pally earlier this month, and after not playing darts for over two weeks, Littler has won a world ranking title for the first time.

Luke Littler has been crowned the Bahrain Masters champion (BIC)

"I'm happy to win, I played well yesterday and I've played well again tonight. No one probably believes me but I've not threw a dart since the world final," Littler told ITV4.

"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."

Earlier on Friday, Littler hit a nine-darter in the first leg against Aspinall in the quarter-final. Littler struck two 180s, before finishing off with treble 20, treble 19, double 12 to become the youngest ever player to hit a televised nine-darter - nine years since Phil Taylor hit the most recent in a World Series event.

Kieran King