Michael van Gerwen has gained revenge on Luke Littler with an 8-6 victory in the Dutch Darts Masters final.
Last week, Littler won his first PDC title by prevailing at the Bahrain Masters, and their respective wins on Saturday set up a reunion eight days later.
Throughout an absorbing contest, there was never more than one leg separating the two players for the opening 13 legs, albeit without Littler leading from the third leg onwards.
Although the 17-year-old valiantly kept with Van Gerwen, it felt like the home favourite was reacting best in the key moments, with a 130 checkout in the ninth leg putting him 5-4 ahead.
Despite losing, Littler averaged a mammoth 106.71 in the final, only missing out on a deciding leg when he wired the bull for a 170 checkout.
🟢 MvG IS THE BOSS OF DEN BOSCH! 🇳🇱
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 27, 2024
Michael van Gerwen defeats Luke Littler 8-6 in the Dutch Darts Masters final to clinch glory on home soil! 🏆
The Dutchman had to produce his best display of the tournament to edge out the teenager in a thrilling final! 👏
#DutchDarts24 pic.twitter.com/IA0s0kklOL
Van Gerwen responded by taking out 85 on double 14 to even the score with his new rival, with the pair in the infancy of a rivalry that could eventually stand the test of time.
Raymond van Barneveld could have knocked Van Gerwen out in the quarter-finals, as the five-time world champion was 5-2 ahead before missing a dart in two separate legs to emerge victorious before succumbing to a 124 checkout in the decider.
Gian van Veen enjoyed a notable run to the semis before losing 7-4 to Van Gerwen, while Littler defeated world champion Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price to reach his third successive final in PDC events.
