Luke Humphries defeated world champion Luke Littler in a deciding leg to defend his US Darts Masters title at Madison Square Garden in New York. The world number two raced into a 4-1 lead before Littler won four consecutive legs to take the lead. Humphries levelled at 5-5 and, with the throw at 7-7, secured back-to-back titles with an 11-darter, finishing the match with a 104 average.
Humphries, who beat Stephen Bunting 6-3 in the quarter-finals and Gian van Veen 7-6 in the semi-finals, said: "This is the most iconic venue I think darts will ever go to. Every year we come here it gets better and better, and the fans have been absolutely amazing. It's been insane." He added: "It's great to go back-to-back. I'm always out to set records and do things that not many players have done."
Reflecting on his rivalry with Littler, Humphries commented: "Me and Luke always have fantastic games, and it's just another brilliant game in the saga of Luke v Luke. I feel if I can keep performing like this then I can keep pushing him, because he's unbelievable. He's the toughest player in the world to beat."
Littler hit nine maximums in the final but missed out on a maiden title in the competition, which took place before the England football team play Panama in a World Cup group game in New York on Saturday. The 19-year-old, who beat Jim Long 6-1 in the quarter-finals and James Wade 7-4 in the semi-finals, said: "It was an unbelievable experience. There were a lot of England fans here who are going to the game so I appreciate them coming along. As the night went on they got louder and louder, and I wish I was in the crowd with them to be fair."
