Luke Littler got his quarter-final at the Bahrain Darts Masters off to a sensational start as he hit a nine-darter in the opening leg against Nathan Aspinall.
It is only the second nine-darter that has been thrown in the World Series, the first coming from Phil Taylor.
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The incredible nine-dart leg also makes Littler the youngest player ever to have a perfect leg on the senior tour, hitting two 180s and then finishing 141 on double 12.
The nine-darter set the tone for the match and from there Littler was too strong for the fourth seed, averaging over 100 on his way to setting up a clash with Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals.
Littler then proved too strong for the Welshman too as he took a controlled 7-3 victory.
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The semi-final looked a close one between the Welshman and Littler, each holding their throw well under pressure but the pivotal moment came when Littler broke the throw in the sixth leg to take a 4-2 leg, taking out a maximum then reeling in the Big Fish.
Littler then showed his class once again to take out a 103 checkout to hold and then finish off 89 on the bullseye for the break of throw and put himself one leg away.
Price clawed back one of the breaks of throw with a brilliant 146 finish to bring the tie to 6-3 but Littler stayed calm and broke straight back to secure his spot in the final on tops.
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Following his nine-darter, Littler admitted that he is just staying focused on winning in each game.
“After I hit it, Nath went, ‘It’s only a hold of throw’. I went, ‘I know myself’,” Littler told ITV Sport.
“But I’m just glad to win. I played really well there.
“It’s just good to get one on TV and obviously the first one of the year goes to me.
“I hope the list continues. Hopefully, I hit a few more.
“I just take it game-by-game and if I do win, I win but if I do lose my next game, it is what is. But I don’t think about losing, I just think about winning.”
The repeat of the 2023 World Darts Championship final was always going to be a quality affair and Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith delivered, the Green Machine taking the spoils in the last-leg decider 7-6.
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The pendulum continuously swung throughout the tie, the throw being broken from leg six onwards.
Although the Green Machine was averging over 106 at points in the match, his missed doubles continued to allow Smith back into the match, a 130 checkout the highlight for the St Helens man.
However, MVG delivered when it mattered, taking out 110 against the throw in the deciding leg to face Littler.
How did the rest of the quarter-finals pan out?
Luke Humphries’ 20-game winning streak came to an end in the quarter-finals as Price defeated the world champion 6-4.
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Smith took the spoils in a 6-1 routing of Peter Wright, with Snakebite unable to hold his throw throughout the contest.
Both averaged in the high 90s, but Wright struggled on his doubling and allowed the 2023 Bahrain Masters Champion to take the spoils.
It was a tough contest between Rob Cross and Van Gerwen as they went toe-to-toe, but the Green Machine ultimately took the spoils 6-4 to book his spot in the semis.
Both players averaged well over 100 but MVG showed his class in the 10th leg to take the 123 checkout for the break of throw and ultimately the win.
Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday, February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on Thursday, May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW
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