Littler Defeats Humphries to Retain Grand Slam Title and Become World Number One

Luke Littler capped a phenomenal week in Wolverhampton by defending his Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts crown with a 16–11 victory over Luke Humphries, sealing both the title and the world number one ranking on Sunday evening.

The 17-year-old became only the fourth player ever to retain the prestigious Eric Bristow Trophy and the youngest to do so, extending his unbeaten record at WV Active Aldersley to 14 straight wins. It was a fitting finale to another extraordinary season in which Littler added a fifth major televised title to his growing résumé.

The reigning World Champion had eased through the round-robin stage with emphatic wins over Karel Sedlacek, Connor Scutt and Daryl Gurney, before dispatching Wessel Nijman in Round Two. In the quarter-finals, he mounted a comeback against Josh Rock, then swept aside Danny Noppert 16–9 in the semis after reeling off seven consecutive legs.

Humphries, the 2023 champion, provided a stern test in the final, leading for large portions of the match before Littler’s power scoring and clinical finishing turned the tide. The teenager averaged 100.61 and fired in fifteen 180s, producing a series of jaw-dropping combination finishes to seize control late on.

“It was always going to be tough,” Littler said after lifting the trophy once again. “Luke played absolutely amazingly tonight. I said to him it was a weird, weird game but I’m glad to win. I was 3–2 down, 8–7 down, but I think that 160 checkout was the game-changer for myself. It’s been a long day. Danny played his part in a brilliant game earlier, but once I got over the line I knew I was the new world number one, and I was just focused on the final.”

Humphries began strongly, following a ten-darter with clinical finishes of 100 and 94 to open a 4–2 advantage. Littler responded in kind, punishing missed doubles with three straight legs to move ahead, before Humphries levelled once more with a 112 finish. The momentum swung repeatedly — Humphries reclaimed an 8–6 lead with back-to-back 12-dart legs, but Littler was relentless in reply.

A 167 checkout hauled him level at 8–8, and moments later a roof-raising 160 finish — coming after seven perfect darts in leg 19 — broke Humphries’ resistance. That combination ignited Littler’s decisive surge: he claimed ten of the final 13 legs to wrap up victory, leaving Humphries unable to respond.

The defending champion finished the contest in style, taking out 96 to complete another landmark triumph and pocket the £150,000 top prize.

For Humphries, it was a third consecutive televised final defeat, but the Englishman remained gracious in defeat and proud of his performance.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve done this week,” he said. “That’s three finals on the trot that I’ve lost. It’s disappointing, but I’m playing well. I said to Luke that he deserves all the success he gets. He’s been a massive advocate for darts and he deserves to be the world number one. I feel like I’ve done myself justice. I’ve really worked hard and held him at bay for a long time. He’s an incredible player, but I’m going to give it everything at the World Championship to get it back.”

Earlier in the day, Humphries had defeated three-time Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price 16–13 in a pulsating semi-final that featured four ton-plus checkouts from the Welshman. Humphries was imperious from the outset, averaging 106.25 and hitting 16 maximums to reach his fifth major final of the year.

Yet the night ultimately belonged to Littler. In just two years since earning his PDC Tour Card, the Warrington prodigy has already claimed six televised ranking titles, joining the elite company of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen as the only players to achieve five or more major wins in a single season.

The victory also cements Littler’s position at the top of world darts — ending Humphries’ 23-month reign as world number one — and reinforces his reputation as the sport’s brightest new star.

“It’s hard to put into words what Luke’s done at such a young age,” said Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle afterwards. “He’s already breaking records that took legends decades to reach. The scariest part is he’s only just getting started.”

As Littler celebrated with the Wolverhampton crowd, the message was clear: the teenager who took the sport by storm in 2024 has now become its dominant force in 2025 — and his golden run shows no signs of slowing down.

Littler Defeats Humphries to Retain Grand Slam Title and Become World Number One

2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts

Sunday November 16

Afternoon Session

Semi-Finals

Luke Humphries 16-13 Gerwyn Price

Luke Littler 16-9 Danny Noppert

Evening Session

Final

Luke Littler 16-11 Luke Humphries