Michael van Gerwen brought Luke Littler down to earth with a brutal blow after his win in Berlin.
Van Gerwen won a thrilling Night Two title at the BetMGM Darts Premier League in Berlin on Thursday, beating teenage sensation Littler 6-5.
The reigning champion survived two match darts to edge out the 17-year-old and reignite his bid to win a record-extending eighth Premier League crown.
Van Gerwen reached the Night Two showpiece with hard-fought wins against Nathan Aspinall and Night One winner Michael Smith.
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That left him with Littler to beat, the teenage sensation who sent shockwaves through the sporting world by reaching the final of the PDC World Darts Championship last month.
The match was one for the ages, with both players at the top of their game and unable to pull clear for an easy win.
However, with the score locked at 5-5, it was Littler who blinked first and wasted two match darts, allowing Van Gerwen to take the match.
After the game, Van Gerwen reflected on his performance.
"Yeah it feels good, I think I played well and that's what you want on nights like this. And yeah, we go on to next week," he told Online Darts.
However, when the interviewer described his win against Littler as "special", the Dutchman interrupted: "No that's not true, it's not special, because we have this final and we'll play it another ten times this year.
"We play each other so many times, pro tours or whatsoever, so it's not going to be special.
"Of course it's important, we all know that, and you have to play well if you want to be on top of the boards. But it's still 1-1, I feel good, I feel comfortable and I played well today."
Van Gerwen and Night One winner Michael Smith are the early frontrunners in the Premier League, but there are still 14 more rounds to go until the play-offs begin.
Night Three will see the tour visit Glasgow on Thursday, February 15.
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler
Alex Brotherton