Luke Littler added the Players Championship title by winning the Bahrain Masters in January
Teenager Luke Littler made his Players Championship debut with a nine-dart finish en route to the title.
The 17-year-old continued his rise in the sport by defeating Ryan Searle 8-7 in the final in Wigan on Monday to win his first ranking tournament.
Littler hit nine darters in a 6-1 win over Michele Turretta in the last 32 of the day.
“I know my game is there and I can beat anyone. I'm glad I won,” Littler said after his win over Searle.
Littler said taking part in the development tour, which gives young players the opportunity to compete in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, helped him cope with the fast pace of the game.
Englishman He told PDC Darts: “I think the development tour helped me a lot, but I can actually throw really well on the floor as well as on stage.
“I've said it many times, I don't really have any goals for this year, I just want to see where the goals go, and after the first few games I was playing really well.
“Like I said, my game is there and I know I can win either one of them. I won on the first try.”
Littler has enjoyed a rapid rise in his career since reaching the world championship final in January at the age of 16.
He moved up to No. 31 in the world rankings, securing his PDC Tour card and a spot in every Pro Tour event this year.
After defeating three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in Bahrain to win his first PDC senior trophy, Littler faced the 34-year-old Dutchman in the final of the Netherlands Masters, but lost 8-6. Ta.
The two sides met again on the second night of the Premier League in Berlin, with Van Gerwen defeating Littler in a thrilling final.
Littler, who collected £15,000 in prize money from his Players Championship success, hit seven 180s and averaged 110 against his compatriot Searle, who himself averaged an astonishing 111.71 in the final. was recorded.
The 36-year-old Searle broke back against Littler to take the match to 7-7 before the teenager sealed the win with a double 20 in the deciding leg.
Mr Littler said his current ambition was to qualify for the sport's major competitions, the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.
“That's what I want to try to do: get all the qualifications because that's what I have to do,” Littler said.
“I hope to play in the floor tournament and then compete in all the other tournaments.”
Littler was not the only player, or even the only teenager, to score nine darters (a player scores 501 points with the minimum number of darts required) for Wigan on Monday.
Two fellow competitors completed the nine-darter, with 18-year-old Englishman Leighton Bennett taking on Lukas Wennig and 50-year-old Northern Irishman Mickey Mansell achieving the feat against Krzysztof Ratajski. Achieved.
