Darter Michael van Gerwen has failed to win the world title for the fourth time. The 35-year-old Dutchman suffered a hopeless defeat against 17-year-old Englishman Luke Littler in the final at Alexandra Palace in London. The score was 7-3. After forty minutes, Littler, who reached the final for the first time last year and then lost to his fellow countryman Luke Humphries, was already leading 4-0.
For Van Gerwen it was his seventh World Cup final. The Brabander won in 2014, 2017 and 2019 and lost in 2013, 2020 and 2023. It was not immediately expected that he reached the final again this time. Van Gerwen, seeded third, did not win any major tournaments last year and persistent dental problems also disrupted his play. After his spectacular victory over the Englishman Callan Rydz (5-3) in the quarter-finals, an impressive performance followed in the semi-finals against Dobey (6-1).
Littler won the Premier League, the World Series of Darts Finals and the Grand Slam of Darts in 2024 and came to the World Cup with confidence. The great darts talent also gained confidence for the final battle in the semi-finals, as he also beat Stephen Bunting 6-1.
Van Gerwen was allowed to start, but immediately surrendered his first leg. This set the tone for the final. Littler, ranked number 4 at the World Cup, won the first set 3-1 and did not lose a single leg in the second set. Van Gerwen had difficulty with the doubles and missed several opportunities in the third set. Littler took full advantage and quickly ran away to 3-0 and 4-0.
In the fifth set, Van Gerwen finally gained some confidence by taking the set with a finish of 132 (4-1) at 2-2. Littler was not upset by this and continued to achieve a high level. Van Gerwen also threw an increasingly higher average and managed to win two more sets, which he started himself. At 6-3, Littler finished it convincingly by not ceding a single leg: 7-3. (AP)