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Luke Littler Wins Inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters, Defeating Michael van Gerwen 8-5

The victory punctuated the PDC’s debut in Saudi Arabia, a showcase of its push to take elite darts to new markets.

Overview

  • Littler averaged 104.84 with six 180s and a 61.5% checkout to hold off van Gerwen, who averaged 101.79, in the Riyadh final.
  • The champion reached the title match by beating Gerwyn Price 7-5, while van Gerwen edged Nathan Aspinall 7-5 in the other semi-final.
  • No player landed the event’s special nine-dart leg, leaving the advertised $200,000 maximum bonus unclaimed.
  • The two-day World Series stop featured eight PDC stars against eight Asian qualifiers; Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung upset Danny Noppert before losing to Aspinall in the quarter-finals.
  • A subdued crowd drew mixed player reactions after day one, prompting a PDC statement affirming all attendees were ticket holders or guests, and Aspinall later said the audience became more engaged on Tuesday.