Michael van Gerwen wins emotional World Series of Darts title, defeats Luke Littler in final

Michael van Gerwen came into the weekend as a bigger tournament favorite in some people's eyes than they might have viewed him to be about a month ago.

He's had some positive performances in recent events to suggest he may be on his way back to his regular form, but this weekend was the nail in the coffin for the questions that were still lingering.

MVG beats Littler for first TV title in two years

Outside of Phil Taylor, van Gerwen is regarded by many as one of the GOATs.

Look at his performance timeline, and you'll see why. Over the last 10+ years, he has dominated darts with several titles each year.

Since 2020, he has still picked up big tournament wins, but not at the rate we've seen from him in the past.

MORE: 2025 World Series of Darts semifinal and final: Final results, scores, schedule and bracket: van Gerwen takes down Littler to claim title

MVG has played in the PDC for almost two decades, yet is still only 36 years old.

He may not be in his prime, when he'd practically win every week, but he's still one of the top players in the game year in and year out.

Michael silenced some of the doubters and people questioning whether or not he still had it, going on an inspiring run at the World Series of Darts Finals this weekend.

It took many gritty wins, as he had to survive match darts at points and come back from tough deficits.

It all started in the game against Wessel Nijman in the first round, when MVG hit a clutch 132 finish to stay alive, and went on to win 6-5 with a 104.75 average.

A second round clash with Rob Cross required another last leg decider to determine who would move on to the quarterfinals, which MVG was able to do once again.

MORE: Michael van Gerwen picks up huge win in thrilling match against Wessel Nijman

He hammered world number one Luke Humphries in that match, averaging 106.45 in a fairly easy win.

His route to the title didn't get easier after that, having to face a red-hot Josh Rock in the semifinal.

After a back-and-forth start, MVG decided that enough was enough and started sprinting in the second half of the game, on his way to an eventual 11-5 win.

Things would be more difficult in the final, as some would expect, since van Gerwen had to defeat the teenage sensation, Luke Littler.

Despite strong scoring on Littler's end, MVG was able to win by a score of 11-7, hitting a 130 finish to clinch the game and title.

It was a weekend to remember for van Gerwen, as he made sure to let fans know he should still be viewed as a threat despite all of the adversity he has faced in 2025.

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