Joe McConnell
Gerwyn Price destroyed Luke Littler 8-1 to claim the Australian Darts Masters, securing his second World Series title of the year and denying his young opponent a third.
Welshman Price averaged just under 100 in Wollongong and hit five legs in a row early in the final before Littler secured his first and only leg of the match.
Price’s win follows his success at the Nordic Masters in June, while Littler was thwarted in his bid to add the Australian trophy to his haul in Bahrain in January and Poland earlier this summer.
Both players had gone through penalties in the semi-final, with Price overcoming Peter Wright 7-6 after his opponent had wasted darts to take a 4-0 lead.
Littler defeated Dimitri Van den Bergh by the same score in a high-level match, where the Nuke tied 5-5 with a score of 146.
Price, Littler, Wright and Van den Bergh will be in action at the New Zealand Darts Masters next week (16 and 17 August), as will Damon Heta, Luke Humphries, Rob Cross and Michael Smith.
Littler missed out on third World Series title of 2024
Eight representatives from Oceania will complete the 16-player field, including New Zealander Haupai Puha, who overcame Cross in the opening round of the Australian Darts Masters, and 2010 PDC World Championship runner-up Simon Whitlock from Australia.
Day two of the Australian Darts Masters began with the quarter-finals, with Littler defeating Smith 6-4, Van den Bergh eliminating world number one and reigning world champion Humphries 6-2, Wright defeating Cross 6-4 and Price defeating home favourite Heta 6-4.
Australian Darts Masters – Saturday Results
Final
Price Gerwyn 8-1 Luke Littler
Semi-finals
Luke Littler 7-6 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price 7-6 Peter Wright
Quarter-finals
Luca Littler 6-4 Michael Smith
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Luke Humphries
Peter Wright 6-4 Rob Cross
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Damon Heta
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