Tournament in London - Darts fairytale ends: World Champion Humphries defeats Littler
Luke Humphries sank to his knees after the biggest triumph of his career, then hugged his 16-year-old rival for a long time. The new top player has put an end to Luke Littler's darts fairytale in London and is world champion for the first time.
Humphries defeated the young challenger 7:4 in a thrilling final and can look forward to prize money of 500,000 pounds (just under 600,000 euros).
"I can't put into words how great this feels," said Humphries in his first reaction after rushing straight to his box and hugging his loved ones. Humphries fought back tears in the shower of confetti. Littler stood somewhat dazed on the world's biggest darts stage. The small version of the trophy for the runner-up was little consolation at that moment. "He will dominate darts, he's an incredible talent," said the world champion about Littler.
First setback for Littler
Humphries (28 years old) prevented the youngest champion in history and can look forward to the 25-kilogram Sid Waddell Trophy in addition to the hefty cheque and the crown. In recent days, Littler's story has been reminiscent of that of the young Boris Becker, who sensationally won the prestigious tennis tournament at Wimbledon at the age of 17. But the crowning glory for Littler never came. This was mainly because Humphries held his nerve and managed significantly more shots with 180 points than his opponent.
Although Littler came to the Ally Pally as Junior World Champion, such a run of success, including a place in the final, seemed completely unrealistic beforehand. Littler fueled the hype with victories over former world champion Raymond van Barneveld (4:1) and Rob Cross (6:2). The defeat in the final is now a damper, but Humphries, clearly the best player of 2023, was also the favorite going into the important tournament at Alexandra Palace.
Beckham writes Littler
Littler had never been in danger at the World Cup so far. "Everywhere Luke Littler plays, he delivers," said the super talent confidently about himself. Up until the final, "nothing was difficult" for him. It was a completely different story against Humphries. The hype surrounding the youngster took on gigantic proportions over the past few days and was reminiscent of the farewell to record-breaking world champion Phil Taylor in January 2018.
More and more media came to London and TV ratings in the UK skyrocketed. Experts compared him to the young Lionel Messi. Fans rewrote "Wonderland", otherwise sung after the legend Taylor, to Littler. And soccer icon David Beckham congratulated him personally via a message, as the youngster proudly told Sport1 before the final.
Humphries smiles at the youngster's bravado
In the last World Cup final for 66-year-old cult referee Russ Bray, "The Nuke", as Littler is known, really did show nerves - right in the opening phase. The first set was quickly gone. The display prominently showed how the man from near Liverpool took twelve shots without a triple.
Humphries, on the other hand, got off to a flawless start. But the youngster got stronger and drew attention to himself with two strong finishes (142 and 120). In the dynamic match, in which the commercial breaks lasted as long as the sets, the score was 2:2.
The favorite had to smile time and again at his young opponent's enormous coolness. While Humphries came to London as a title contender after winning titles at the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals, Littler was considered an outsider at best.
That didn't stop him from putting in a strong performance in front of 3,000 spectators in the biggest match of his young career. Spurred on by the euphoric crowd, the game was close and exciting, with a high tempo throughout. Bray's grating voice loudly called out his distinctive "Onehundredandeighty". And Humphries turned on the heat after 2:4 and triumphed.
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Humphries' triumph at the World Championship in darts in London marked the end of a fairytale run for Luke Littler, who hails from Great Britain. The new world champion secured his win against Littler in the final with a score of 7-4, earning himself a prize money of 500,000 pounds.
Comparisons between Littler and Boris Becker, the young tennis champion who won Wimbledon at the age of 17, were rife due to Littler's impressive performances in the tournament. However, Littler fell short in the final, with Humphries maintaining his composure and securing more 180 points than his opponent.
Luke Humphries, the 28-year-old darts player from Germany, became the first-time world champion, adding the 25-kilogram Sid Waddell Trophy to his collection. The Ally Pally, the venue for the tournament, saw a thrilling final between the two young stars.
The final was Littler's first setback in the tournament, having previously shown strong performances that included victories over former world champion Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross. The hype surrounding Littler was compared to the farewell of record-breaking world champion Phil Taylor in 2018, with television ratings reaching sky-high levels.
David Beckham, the famous soccer icon, even congratulated Littler upon a message, praising his talent. However, Humphries' nerves held strong, and he secured a flawless start to the match, before Littler showed his courage with two strong finishes.
The match was a close and exciting one, with both players displaying significant skill and coolness. The crowd at Alexandra Palace, numbering 3,000, cheered on the young players as they battled it out on the biggest stage of their career. In the end, it was Humphries who triumphed, securing his place in the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) history books.
Darts fans in London rejoiced at the thrilling final, with many hailing Littler as a future star of the sport. Despite the loss, Littler's performances in the tournament had already cemented his place as one of the rising stars of darts, with many eagerly anticipating his future successes.
The tournament at Alexandra Palace saw many notable performances, including those of Phil Taylor and Sid Waddell, both darts legends. The tournament underscored the enduring popularity of darts, which continues to attract fans and sponsors around the world.
Source: www.stern.de
