Luke Littler produced a sublime display to defeat his great rival Luke Humphries and retain the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts title on a historic day of action in Wolverhampton on Sunday.
Littler became only the fourth player to retain the coveted Eric Bristow Trophy, defeating 2023 champion Humphries 16-11 to extend his remarkable winning run at WV Active Aldersley.
The teenage sensation prevailed on his Grand Slam debut 12 months ago, and he made it 14 wins from 14 after following up his semi-final success against Danny Noppert by toppling Humphries in Sunday’s showpiece.
Littler raced through the round-robin phase with convincing wins over Karel Sedlacek, Connor Scutt and Daryl Gurney, before sweeping aside Wessel Nijman in Round Two.
Following a comeback win over Josh Rock in the quarter-finals, Littler then ran out a 16-9 winner against Noppert, rattling off seven consecutive legs to set up a blockbuster showdown against Humphries.
Humphries held the edge for much of the contest, but a series of monstrous combination finishes from Littler midway through proceedings shifted the pendulum - including a key 160 checkout to move 11-9 up.
The Warrington wonderkid won ten of the last 13 legs to pocket the £150,000 top prize, which also sees him become the new world number one, ending Humphries’ 23-month stay at the darting summit.
“It was always going to be tough,” reflected Littler, who averaged 100.61 and crashed in fifteen 180s to retain a PDC Premier title for the first time in his career.
“Luke played absolutely amazingly tonight. I said to him it was a weird, weird game but I’m glad to win.
“I was 3-2 down, 8-7 down, but I think that 160 checkout was the game-changer for myself.
“It’s been a long day. Danny played his part in a brilliant game earlier, but once I got over the line I knew I was the new world number one, and I was just focused on the final.”
Humphries defied an ominous start from Littler to seize the early initiative, following up a ten-darter with clinical two-dart 100 and 94 combinations as he established a 4-2 cushion.
Littler responded with a three-leg burst of his own as Humphries faltered on the outer ring, although the 30-year-old rediscovered his range with a timely 112 combination to level at five apiece.
This appeared to spark Humphries back into life, as he followed up a 79 outshot with successive 12-darters to lead 8-6, only for Littler to come roaring back and turn the contest on its head.
Having converted a 167 finish to restore parity at 8-8, Littler punished rare errors from Humphries with a roof-raising 160 to move 11-9 ahead, which was preceded by a run of seven perfect darts in leg 19.
This proved to be the catalyst for the reigning champion, who won four of the next five legs to move to the cusp of victory, leaving Humphries staring down the barrel.
The 30-year-old stopped the rot with a confident hold in leg 26, but it only delayed the inevitable, as Littler landed an effortless 96 checkout to cap off another milestone win.
“I’m really proud of what I’ve done this week,” insisted Humphries, who was featuring in a third consecutive televised ranking final.
“That’s three finals on the trot that I’ve lost. It’s disappointing, but I’m playing well.
“I said to Luke that he deserves all the success he gets. He’s been a massive advocate for darts and he deserves to be the world number one.
“I feel like I’ve done myself justice. I’ve really worked hard and held him at bay for a long time.
“He’s an incredible player, but I’m going to give it everything at the World Championship [to get it back].”
Humphries booked his spot in Sunday’s showpiece with a thrilling 16-13 victory over three-time champion Gerwyn Price, who registered four ton-plus checkouts in defeat.
However, Humphries was imperious from start to finish against the Welshman, averaging 106.25 and landing 16 maximums to reach his fifth Premier final of the season.
Nevertheless, Littler will succeed Humphries as the new world number one following his fifth televised ranking title of the year – a record only matched by Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
The World Champion – also a winner at the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix in 2025 – becomes the youngest ever world number one, surpassing Van Gerwen, who achieved the feat as a 24-year-old back in 2014.
The next PDC Premier event sees 64 stars competing next weekend in the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals at Butlin's Minehead Resort, in the final tournament before the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.