Littler Wins To Secure World Number One Ranking

Luke Littler will go world number 1 for nan first clip aft booking his spot successful nan Grand Slam of Darts last successful Wolverhampton.

The world champion's 16-9 triumph complete nan Netherlands' Danny Noppert intends he will overtake rival Luke Humphries to apical nan Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) world rankings sloppy of nan consequence of Sunday evening's final.

Littler's net complete nan two-year play that find nan Order of Merit full £1,770,500 aft making nan final, a fig that will emergence to £1,850,000 if he wins.

With Humphries defending nan money he won from triumphing successful this tourney successful 2023, moreover if he lifts nan trophy again, he will person earned £1,769,000 - conscionable short of chap Englishman Littler.

"It is has not moreover been 2 years that I've been connected nan circuit and I'm already world number one," Littler told Sky Sports.

"That is occupation done - I americium world number 1 - but location is simply a bigger lucifer tonight.

"I americium nan champion successful nan world. No matter what, I've said it passim nan twelvemonth that Luke Humphries is nan champion successful nan world.

"No matter if you spell retired successful nan first, 2nd aliases 3rd information you are nan champion successful nan world."

At conscionable 18, Littler will go nan youngest PDC world number one, surpassing Michael van Gerwen who achieved nan feat aged 24 successful 2014.

The rankings are wished by nan magnitude of prize money a subordinate has won from ranking tournaments complete a two-year period.

Littler had to flooded a sluggish commencement of his ain and a blistering 1 from Noppert successful his semi-final and recovered himself 8-6 down.

However, he rallied successful awesome style, winning 10 of nan adjacent 11 legs and ending pinch an mean of 102.62 to complete his emergence to nan acme of world darts.

Humphries had clung connected to nan number 1 spot for a small longer pinch a magnificent show to hit Gerwyn Price 16-13 successful an enthralling first semi-final.

The 2024 world champion averaged 106.25 and deed 16 180s and, pinch nan rankings not officially updating until midnight, will person nan chance to get 1 complete connected defending champion Littler successful his last lucifer arsenic world number 1 this evening.