Littler wins Matchplay and smashes Taylor record
Luke Littler defended his World Matchplay title by defeating Gerwyn Price 18-9 in Blackpool, breaking Phil Taylor's tournament and final average records.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Luke Littler beat seventh seed Gerwyn Price 18-9 to retain his World Matchplay title
- Finished the week with a tournament-record average of 111.04, beating Phil Taylor's 2010 mark
- Claimed £225,000 in prize money, extending his order of merit lead over Luke Humphries
- Extended his winning streak in matches with 20 or more legs to 29 consecutive victories
Luke Littler defended his World Matchplay title in sensational style in Blackpool, defeating seventh seed Gerwyn Price 18-9 to join elite company. The 19-year-old became just the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Matchplay titles, following in the footsteps of Rod Harrington, Phil Taylor, and Michael van Gerwen.
The world number one dominated the tournament from start to finish, concluding the week with an incredible average of 111.04 to eclipse Phil Taylor's previous record of 106.31 set in 2010. In the final itself, Littler posted an average of 111.53, surpassing Taylor's 111.23 against Adrian Lewis back in 2013.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Littler started the final as the heavy favorite and quickly stamped his authority by securing a 167 finish in the fourth leg to take the opening mini-session 4-1. Price fought valiantly, averaging 104.97 in the final and climbing to fourth in the order of merit, but could not halt the teenager's momentum. Littler hit six ton-plus checkouts and landed 12 maximum 180s during the match, bringing his total for the tournament to a record 66.
Context and Analysis: The World Matchplay is widely regarded as one of the most grueling and prestigious majors on the PDC calendar. The demanding leg-play format tests stamina and mental fortitude over extended periods, making sustained averages above 110 exceptionally rare. Littler's ongoing streak of 29 successive wins in matches requiring 20 or more legs underscores his remarkable evolution and dominance in longer formats since his breakthrough at the 2024 World Championship.
"Luke is one in a million, I threw everything at him."
Gerwyn Price
Speaking after lifting the trophy, Littler reaffirmed his ambition to achieve an unprecedented clean sweep of PDC ranking titles within a single calendar year. While missing several early Pro Tour events leaves him work to do regarding qualification for Minehead in November, former BDO world champion Mark Webster admitted he half expects the phenomenal teenager to pull off the historic feat.
Source: BBC Sport
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