Littler suffers even more heartbreak when he loses to Van Gerwen in the final of the Dutch Masters
LUKE LITTLER could no longer muster magic in the Dutch Masters final.
The teenage sensation lost to the iconic Michael van Gerwen in a replay of last week's Bahrain Masters final.
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Follow all the reactions from Luke Littler's Dutch Darts Masters tournament in our live blog
Littler took his first professional title in the Middle East, but MVG took revenge tonight in the Netherlands with an 8-6 victory.
However, there was time for revenge for Littler himself.
The 17-year-old defeated Luke Humphries – the man who broke his heart at Ally Pally – in the quarter-finals.
The World Championship rematch was enthralling as Littler emerged the 6-5 winner.
Littler will miss out on £20,000 in prize money this time with his loss, but will now turn his attention to getting the Premier League underway.
Although he'll be pleased to know he still pockets £10,000 for coming second.
After his loss, he said: “I went one leg at a time, hold-by-hold.
“At the end I had to hold on. I left with 180 and he came back with one.
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“I think, just try to hold on. I connected the 170 and then it gets it.
“The whole game, every hold, was incredible. I was ready for a game. He said I was pressuring him. I tried, but he just wouldn't miss.
“The crowd was great. Obviously they want Michael to win, I understand that. How many 140s have I hit? It's an extra 40 points discount. Respect for Michael. Finally he got me.
“Hopefully I won't be burned out for the Premier League next week. I consider this competition practice. It moves on to the World Series rankings. I can't wait to go to Cardiff on Tuesday.”
Michael van Gerwen won his very first Dutch Masters, something very nice for the Dutchman who played in his home country.
The superstar appeared to be in tears as he was overwhelmed by the thought of a title win in front of his home crowd.
The 34-year-old was delighted with his victory, but had high praise for his young competitor.
He said: “This is what people like to watch. He put so much pressure on me. Everyone knows, he is the man who is in good shape.
“Luke Littler has a bright future ahead of him. We all know that. Still, you want to stop him. You still have to do the right things to him. That's what I did.
“His scoring ability is enormous. Then you have to keep fighting, keep fighting. I'm glad I was able to do that.
“He doesn't worry about anything. He just does his own thing. I think that's a good thing. The crowd here, the PDC, the sponsors, I think they made it a great tournament. And that's what I want.”
He added: “To win this trophy and against Luke Littler in front of a home crowd, it feels great. You have to move on in life and that's the terrible thing. It always means a lot to see a crowd like that.”
Both players will now head to Cardiff for the start of the Premier League season.
Littler earned his place in the Premier League line-up after his stellar performance at the World Championships early this year.
Since his heartbreaking loss, he has been living a life of luxury.
The teenager was invited to Manchester United's training ground to meet players and staff from the club he has supported all his life.
And he even had some time to take on Harry Maguire in a darts showdown while he was there.
He shares the spotlight with girlfriend Eloise Milburn, who has been by his side during his meteoric rise.
The 21-year-old also plays darts and cheered on her boyfriend at the World Championships earlier this year.
It was rumored that the pair met while playing video games, but Eloise cleared that up in an interview with The Guardian.
She said: “We met on the development tour in Leicester in August but ended up being friends [tournament] in Milton Keynes.”
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