Michael van Gerwen won the Dutch derby against Gian van Veen to win the Bahrain Darts Masters as Luke Littler's 21-match winning run came to an end.
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen, leapfrogged in the rankings by world championship runner-up Van Veen earlier this month, made it back in the winner's circle with an enthralling 8-6 victory to take home his 17th World Series crown.
Earlier in the night, Littler's streak came to an end in a thumping 6-2 defeat at the hands of Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals.
The 18-year-old back-to-back world champion was on a stunning run which stretched back to October 30.
He had cleaned up with titles at the Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and the World Championship, making Price the first man to defeat him on TV since James Wade at the European Championship.
Price, world champion in 2021, produced some of his top form to beat Littler at this tournament for the second year running, breaking the darting phenom for a second time by hitting the bull to open up a 4-1 lead.
The Welshman just missed out on a third ton-plus checkout when sealing victory in the eighth leg, hitting the wire for double 20 before returning to land double 10 for an impressive win.
Littler, who defeated Van Veen to secure his second world title at Alexandra Palace earlier this month, eased past 71-year-old Paul Lim in the opening round, but had no answers against 'The Iceman' who coasted to victory with a 97.4 average and 60 per cent on the doubles.
Van Gerwen dethroned Stephen Bunting in the last eight before blasting his way past Littler's conqueror Price in the semi-finals.
Against the new Dutch No 1, 'Mighty Mike' produced 130-checkout on the bull to pounce on Van Veen's missed
double and secure an early break in the final before his second 100-plus checkout sealed him a 3-0 lead.
Van Veen hit back with a break and then a 111-finish to reduce the deficit to 3-2, but Van Gerwen went on to average over 107 as he opened up a four-leg advantage to lead 6-2.
In a tense see-saw battle, Van Veen responded again by taking three consecutive legs to pull it back to 6-5 and then 7-6.
But Van Gerwen, who had made a 103-checkout to edge 7-5 ahead, held his nerve to find a vital 66 finish in a 14-dart leg and land his 17th World Series title and first since 2024.
Speaking to ITV, Van Gerwen said: "I don't have to prove anything to anyone. It's always special because I've never won here but everywhere I go I always want to win.
"I give 100 per cent and of course I had a tough few years but more importantly you have to make sure you keep battling your own battles.
"To come here and win in Bahrain means the world to me."
"What Gian has been producing lately, with the World Championship final and now straight away this tournament, we are going to see a lot more of him.
"I think there will be plenty more matches between us to come.
"He is a great talent, but I feel old now - I'm only 36!"
Van Veen - competing in his third World Series event and first Bahrain Darts Masters - backed up his mesmerising run at Ally Pally by reaching the final in Bahrain in impressive fashion.
The 24-year-old beat Man Lok Leung 6-2 on Thursday, and blasted past compatriot Danny Noppert 6-1 with a 104 average in his opening match of Friday night.
Van Veen then overcame Nathan Aspinall 7-4 with a strong second-half performance to reach his maiden World Series final.
"To be here for the first time ever, I've had a fantastic tournament," said Van Veen, who averaged over 97 in all three of his games on Friday.
"It's good to make two finals in the last couple of weeks, but it's two times runner-up. It's something to work on.
"Being a Dutchman, I always looked up to Michael, so to play him here in the final was always going to be great.
"I'm here to win the tournament, that's why I was here and that was goal. I'm looking forward to the next tournament, but Michael was the deserved winner today."
World No 2 Luke Humphries was also knocked out in the quarter-finals, losing 6-3 to Aspinall.
Former world champion Humphries had led 3-1.
A power failure briefly halted play earlier on Friday evening before Van Veen sealed his place in the last four by averaging over 104 in a convincing 6-1 win against fellow countryman Noppert.
Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday from February until May on Your Site. .
