Luke Humphries has framed his 8-7 US Darts Masters final win over Luke Littler at Madison Square Garden as a necessary jolt for their rivalry before July’s World Matchplay.
Humphries retained the New York title after beating Stephen Bunting, Gian van Veen and Littler on finals night, with Sky Sports’ result card confirming the quarter-final, semi-final and final route. Littler had fought back from 4-1 down in the final, but Humphries closed the deciding leg with the kind of finish that had been missing in several recent last-leg defeats.
Humphries answers Littler pattern
The sharper angle came after the trophy lift. Humphries told DartsNews that “it’s not a good rivalry” if one player keeps winning, making New York feel like more than another World Series cheque.
That matters because Littler had already beaten him in last-leg showdowns at the World Masters and Premier League this year. Humphries has now banked a back-to-back US Darts Masters defence and a fresh answer to the world number one before Blackpool, where the World Matchplay runs from July 18-26.
For Littler, the wait for a first US Darts Masters title goes on. For Humphries, the message is cleaner: the rivalry is still live, still balanced enough to sell the next major stage, and still being decided by the thinnest possible margins.
