Michael van Gerwen won Night Two of the Premier League Darts after battling past Luke Littler with a 6-5 victory in a thrilling final in Berlin.
Littler took an early 2-0 lead in the race to six, only for Van Gerwen to reel off three legs in a row to get it back on throw, where it remained right through to a decider.
Van Gerwen had the darts and a first shot at victory, though missed a dart at the bull to leave Littler with a chance to take out 80 for the win. He had two shots at double ten, usually so reliable for him, but the 17-year-old could not get the job done, having slowed himself down for once.
A second match dart came and went for Van Gerwen, but it was third time lucky to win the final and take the five points on offer for winning the night, having come away with nothing from the opening week in Cardiff.
On meeting Littler in the final, Van Gerwen said: "It's good. I hope we can keep it that way as well.
Michael van Gerwen WINS Night Two 🎯 pic.twitter.com/EbCdu9vHd1
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) February 8, 2024
"In this format, in the Premier League, you have to be good week after week. It's non-stop and I think that was good for me. I was always putting energy into my game and that helps me in the long run.
"It is only week two. Everyone was saying 'last week you lost in the first round!' Don't worry, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon."
It is still Michael Smith who leads the way at the top of the table in the very early stages of the 17-week roadshow, having reached the semi-finals in Berlin to back up his win on opening night.
He was beaten by Van Gerwen in the last-four, after the Dutchman had begun the night by fighting back from 4-1 down to win five legs on the bounce and beat Nathan Aspinall.
Littler, in his first year in the Premier League, beat Rob Cross 6-5 to reach the last-four, where he also went the distance as he once again got the better of world champion Luke Humphries.
That set up a third final of the year against Van Gerwen, after the Dutchman’s win in Den Bosch and Luttler’s success in Bahrain, and it was the seven-time Premier League champion who came out on top.
