Littler Makes Strong Comeback in Bahrain with Dominant Win Over Lim

Reigning back-to-back world champion Luke Littler kicked off his Bahrain Darts Masters campaign in style, securing a convincing 6-1 victory over veteran Paul Lim. This win marked Littler's first appearance since retaining the Sid Waddell Trophy on January 3, where he solidified his position as world No 1. Littler, who won his first World Series of Darts title at this event in 2024, demonstrated his prowess with a 106.5 average and two ton-plus finishes, including the tournament's first 'Big Fish' checkout. He successfully converted six out of eight attempts at double, showcasing his dominance. Littler is set to face Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals, a rematch of last year's encounter at the same stage, after Price struggled to overcome Motomu Sakai with a 6-4 win. Other notable winners include Luke Humphries, who defeated Abdulla Saeed in straight legs for the third consecutive year, and Gian van Veen, who thrashed Man Lok Leung 6-2. Defending champion Stephen Bunting, Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert, and Nathan Aspinall also secured spots in the last eight. The competition is heating up, with the quarter-finals scheduled to take place on Friday. Littler reflected on his win, stating, 'Paul's been performing exceptionally well for many years; he's a class act and still going strong, but I was able to gain momentum and secure the win.' Gerwyn Price found himself in a tough match against Sakai, needing a 107 finish to claim the opening leg, while Van Veen capitalized on Leung's wayward scoring to advance to the quarter-finals. The stage is set for an exciting quarter-final showdown, with Littler facing Price, Van Gerwen taking on Bunting, Humphries competing against Aspinall, and Van Veen facing Noppert.