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Luke Littler: Teenage sensation ‘hungry for more’ on 19th birthday after Saudi Arabia Darts Masters win with World Masters looming | Darts News

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Luke Littler celebrates with the Sid Waddell trophy after victory against Gian van Veen after the final of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace, London. Picture date: Saturday January 3, 2026

Luke Littler is turning 19 and despite achieving so much in such a short career remains hungry for more after “overachieving” so far.

Littler became the inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters champion on the eve of his 19th birthday with an 8-5 victory over Michael van Gerwen in Riyadh.

It marks his first win since he became the first back-to-back world champion in a decade with his 7-1 domination of Gian van Veen at Alexandra Palace earlier this month.

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Littler has achieved so much in such a short space of time, becoming world No 1, back-to-back world champion, Premier League champion, plus winning the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam twice, UK Open, Players Championship Finals, and World Series Finals since making his debut at the worlds just a few years ago.

Even ‘The Nuke’ himself believes he has overachieved since bursting onto the scene and changing the darting trajectory but remains hungry for even more success in 2026.

“I think I have overachieved, but I’ve definitely got better as I’ve got older and the calendar’s gone on and we’ve entered more tournaments,” Littler said.

“But we don’t stop here, we try and get better.

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“If you ae not enjoying it then there’s no point travelling, there is no point even stepping on stage.

“Even Michael (van Gerwen) said, once that fire out of the belly goes, there’s no point playing.

“But I will be around for many, many years and I’m still hungry for more titles.”

One title that has eluded Littler to date is the World Masters which takes place from January 28 until February 1.

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Littler made it to the quarter-finals in 2025 but is hoping to add it to his list of titles when he returns in just over a week’s time.

Indeed, he will even be putting some extra practice in ahead of the event.

“I think after the holiday that we are going on, when I am back, I will definitely be practising because it’s a title that I’ve not picked up yet and I definitely want to go to Milton Keynes and I want to become champion.

“Last year in the Masters I think I played pretty well early on and then lost out to Jonny (Clayton).

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“It is what it is, that is the format and that is what we have got to get used to.

“I will be more than ready.”

Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday from February until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.

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Highlights of the World Championship final between Luke Littler and Gian van Veen

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Speaking on Love The Darts, Matt Edgar and Paul Nicholson discuss Luke Littler’s dominant campaign at the World Championship

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Luke Littler hits a 170 checkout against Paul Lim at the Bahrain Masters, with both men then reeling in the big fish on stage! Credit: PDC

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Luke Littler recovers from 3-0 down to defeat Gian van Veen. Pictures courtesy on PDC

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