Luke Littler prepares for first tournament as World Darts Champion to defend Bahrain Darts Masters | News about darts
Luke Littler will begin his defense of the Bahrain Darts Masters against PDC Asian champion Lawrence Ilagan as he prepares to make his first outing as world champion on Thursday afternoon.
The last time Littler faced the Filipino in November, the roof was almost raised in Wolverhampton at the Grand Slam of Darts as the teenager missed double 12 in an eventual 5-3 victory.
Littler marked his arrival on the world stage with a nine-deterrent en route to victory in Bahrain last year, defeating Michael van Gerwen in the final to triumph on his World Series debut.
Having also beaten Van Gerwen to lift the iconic Sid Waddell Trophy at Alexandra Palace on January 3, the teenager will return to action against the enigmatic Ilagan.
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Littler deliberately leaves the big fish, but Ilagan had other plans!
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Emma Paton, Mark Webster and Richard Ashdown discuss whether Littler can break Phil Taylor’s record of 16 World Darts Championship titles
World No.1 Luke Humphries will begin his campaign against local qualifier Abdulla Saeed as he looks to return to winning ways after exiting in the last 16 of the World Darts Championship.
Humphries ran out 6-0 winners when the pair met at the same stage in last year’s event and will be hoping for a repeat performance as he maintains his ever-present record in Bahrain.
Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey will feature among the eight PDC representatives this week, and the debutants have been pitted against Nitin Kumar and Basem Mahmood respectively.
Reigning Masters champion Bunting moved up to a career-high ranking of world No 5 following his run to the semi-finals of the World Championship and will bow out in Bahrain against India’s top player Kumar.
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Check out some of the most memorable moments from this year’s World Darts Championship, including Littler’s record, some Barrioke and two nine-darts
Meanwhile, Dobey, also a semi-finalist at Alexandra Palace, faces Bahrain’s Mahmood for a place in the quarter-finals as he prepares to compete in his first World Series event.
2018 World Champion Rob Cross faces a tough test against Paolo Nebrida, who defeated Jim Williams and Ross Smith to reach the third round in the World Championship.
Elsewhere, 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price will meet Hong Kong’s Lok Yin Lee, with 2023 World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall up against PDC China champion Xiaochen Zong.
Peter Wright completes the eight-man PDC line-up. The two-time world champion will begin his campaign against 2024 PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Alexis Toylo.
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Highlights of Littler against Michael van Gerwen in the final of the World Darts Championship
Littler: If I want Taylor’s record, I can beat it
Littler has been on a meteoric rise since his impressive run to the World Championship final in January 2024 and completed 10 titles in his maiden year on the professional circuit, claiming the biggest prize of all at the second time of asking.
The young star believes he “has the ability” to break Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s astonishing record of 16 world titles.
“Deep down, if I want to try to break the record, then I’m sure I have the ability to do it,” Littler said.
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Littler reflected on his first World Darts Championship victory and shared his ambitions to break Taylor’s record
“If I want to, I’m sure I’ll do it. I just have to keep going. The calendar is stacked all year round.
“I’ve said in previous interviews if I win every major title in my career I’ll be happy, but obviously I’d like to add to the world titles.”
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2025-01-16 06:00:00
