Darting prodigy Luke Littler triumphs in debut at Bahrain Masters
Littler, three days shy of his 17th birthday, faced early setbacks, missing doubles and trailing 2-0.
But 'the Nuke' displayed his composure and grit, reeling off five legs in a row to silence the crowd and secure his win against the world number 126.
Littler, now ranked 31st in the world, hit four 180s and an average of 97.92 en route to victory.
Littler captured the attention of the world with his historic run to the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace earlier this month, during which he became the youngest player to ever win a match before reaching the final in stunning fashion, ultimately losing to world number one Luke Humphries.
He now faces compatriot and the reigning World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall in the next round.
Aspinall only just scraped past Filipino Lourence Ilagan 6-5, setting the stage for a battle between two of the sport's top talents.
This tournament, part of the prestigious World Series of Darts, features eight PDC stars pitted against eight Asian hopefuls in best-of-11 leg matches.
The winner will walk away with a hefty £20,000 prize, but the real prize for Littler may be the chance to further cement his status as a darts superstar in the making.
Follow all the results from the Bahrain Masters here with Flashscore.
