Littler thrashes Wade to win UK Open in style

Luke Littler, then aged 17, became the youngest PDC world champion in January

World champion Luke Littler won the UK Open for the first time with an emphatic 11-2 victory over James Wade in Minehead.

Littler blew his opponent away as he reeled off nine legs on the bounce from the start of the match, which became a formality after the 18-year-old gave himself such a sizable cushion.

Wade had knocked out world number one Luke Humphries in a thrilling quarter-final and breezed through his semi-final against Josh Rock.

However, the 41-year-old, who won the tournament in 2008, 2011 and 2021, struggled in the face of a clinical Littler masterclass.

The Warrington teenager averaged 101.50 - to Wade's sub-par 88.06 - and he wrapped up victory with a 16-dart leg, finishing with double six to pocket the £110,000 top prize.

Littler's task was made significantly easier by Wade's poor showing - a paltry 11.76% check-out conversion rate highlighting how he froze in the final.

"I had a job to do, I just wanted to pick up the trophy and it's one I can tick off the list now," Littler told ITV4.

"It's one I've wanted to win. It's my third time here, I came here two years ago as a 16-year-old, last year I was in the quarter-final and now I've gone two better this year to win it."

Wade started poorly, missing double eight to win the first leg, and Littler punished him to steal an early break of throw before he powered into a 3-0 lead with a staggering average of more than 120.

Littler then won a scrappy 20-dart fourth leg as Wade blew an opportunity to get a foothold in the match, before normal service resumed in the fifth.

Wade's efforts turned to calamity in the ninth leg when he was left wincing after he jabbed himself in the hand with a dart when stepping from the oche.

Indeed, a whitewash looked on the cards before Wade scrambled to land a messy 21-dart 10th leg with double five.

Littler, who threw nine 180s, went into cruise control for the remainder of the contest, which allowed Wade to bag another leg with a checkout of 85 to reduce the deficit to 10-2.

It made little difference to the outcome as Littler ruthlessly closed out a match in which Wade was barely able to land a glove on him.

"He absolutely bashed me to bits but what can you do against that?" Wade said.

"He was the far superior player, as much as it kills me to admit it, but it is what it is. For me, it's a great step in the right direction.

"Fair play to Luke - at the moment, he's probably the best or the second-best darts player in the world."

Semi-final results

Best of 21 legs

• Jonny Clayton 6-11 Luke Littler

• Josh Rock 2-11 James Wade

Quarter-final results

Best of 19 legs

• Gian van Veen 4-10 Luke Littler

• Josh Rock 10-7 Nathan Aspinall

• Jonny Clayton 10-8 Michael Smith

• James Wade 10-9 Luke Humphries