Shock in Bahrain: Luke Littler’s winning streak ends after 21 consecutive televised matches

All good things come to an end, as the darts world has just been reminded. The remarkable winning streak of Luke Littler is over after he lost 6-2 to Gerwyn Price in the quarterfinals of the Bahrain Darts Masters. Rivals will breathe easier, as the 18-year-old Englishman has proved he isn’t unbeatable after all.

The young English prodigy suffered his first defeat in as many as 21 consecutive TV matches, ending an extraordinary 83-day unbeaten run. It’s a statistic that once again highlights how exceptional Littler’s rise has been in recent months. His previous loss came in the last 16 of the 2025 European Championship, when James Wade ultimately proved too strong with a 10-7 win.

Since then, Littler has won the Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship Finals, and his second consecutive world title. In between, he also took over the world number one spot from his compatriot Luke Humphries.

Since his definitive breakthrough on the big stage, Littler has had the darts world under his spell. With youthful swagger, heavy scoring, and striking maturity on the oche, he has surprised both supporters and skeptics. TV tournaments barely seemed to faze him: week after week he kept winning, often with commanding displays and impressive averages. That he now loses again for the first time in a long while feels almost unreal.

The streak may be over, but the Luke Littler story certainly isn’t. The darts world is already looking forward to his next outing — wondering whether this marks the end of a chapter, or the start of a new, even more impressive one.

He could begin that new chapter as early as next week at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters. And opponents have been warned: a fired-up Littler is someone you’d rather not face.