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Current world champion Luke Littler has won the 32nd Players Championship event to secure his place in next month’s Players Championship Finals.
The 18-year-old was in superb form, hitting 10 180s and producing an average of 110.73 as he defeated Dutchman Denny Olde Kalter 8-2 in the final at Robin Park Leisure Center in Wigan.
“I’m really happy with the win,” said Littler, who averaged 102 points over his seven games on Wednesday.
“At the beginning of the day it was just about getting through the early stages and you have to believe in yourself.”
En route to the final, Littler beat Dylan Slevin 6-4, Geoffrey de Graaf 6-4, Adam Lipscombe 6-0, Adam Hunt 6-4 and Rhys Griffin 6-3, before averaging over 109 in a 7-4 semi-final win over world number four Stephen Ponting.
Olde Kalter, 33, is in his first season on the PDC Tour after winning a place via Q School and is ranked 140th in the world.
He defeated Marvin van Velzen 6-3, Niels Zonneveld 6-1, Dirk van Duyvenbode 6-5, Scott Waites 6-1, Nathan Aspinall and Jermaine Watimena 7-3 to reach his first PDC final.
Watimena won the 31st Players Championship on Tuesday, defeating Aspinall in the final.
There are 34 Players Championship events throughout the year, with the finals taking place in Minehead, Somerset from 21-23 November, featuring 64 of the best performing players.
Littler started Wednesday ranked 67th in the Players Championship standings, but has now done enough to reach the finals.
Speaking to the PDC website, the teenager added: “I know that I have the capabilities necessary to come back from behind in the matches, and that is what I did again.”
“Trying to qualify for Minehead was on my mind. I saw some people on social media saying I wouldn’t make it, but I’m very happy with the way I played.”
However, three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, 36, will miss the finals for the first time.
He is outside the top 64, has withdrawn from Wednesday’s competition and will not play in the final two events in Wigan on October 29 and 30.
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