Luke Littler hammers Paul Lim as PDC stars avoid upsets at Bahrain Masters

Brad Ferguson

Luke Littler beat Paul Lim comprehensively in BahrainTaylor Lanning / PDC

Luke Littler launched his 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion at the Bahrain Darts Masters on Thursday, dismantling the legendary Paul Lim 6-1 as each of the ranked PDC stars avoided upsets in their first-round matches.

Fresh from retaining the Sid Waddell Trophy earlier this month, Littler averaged north of 106 at the Exhibition World Bahrain against Lim, a player whose career predates Littler's birth by several decades.

A sublime 170 checkout, followed swiftly by a clinical 121, accelerated what had briefly been a competitive opening into a procession.

Lim, now 69, traded early holds and never lacked for endeavour, but once Littler found top gear, the contest tilted. The match ended as many of Littler's recent outings have done, with an opponent left applauding quality rather than lamenting errors.

The world champion was quick to return the respect, describing Lim as "a class act" and acknowledging the significance of starting the season sharply at a venue where he has already tasted success.

"Paul's been performing well for many, many years," reflected 2024 winner Littler, who paid tribute to the man 53 years his senior.

"He's a class act, and he's still going strong, but thankfully, I was able to kick on and get the win.

"It's always good to be back in Bahrain. This is the start of the new season for us, and you want to start the year off right, with a title."

World number two Luke Humphries continued a striking run of dominance against Abdulla Saeed, producing a third successive whitewash victory over the Bahraini representative in Bahrain with a 103.66 average.

Humphries' rhythm looked settled, his scoring relentless, and his 6-0 win was achieved with minimal fuss.

The reigning champion Stephen Bunting also progressed without alarm, sweeping aside Ryusei Azemoto 6-2.

The Japanese star was unable to capitalise on opportunities at crucial moments, and Bunting's experience told as he punished missed doubles to set up a heavyweight quarter-final against Michael van Gerwen, who recovered from 4-3 down against Alexis Toylo before rattling off three straight legs to keep alive his pursuit of a record-extending 17th World Series title.

World Championship finalist Gian van Veen impressed on his World Series return, winning five consecutive legs in a 6-2 victory over Man Lok Leung, while Danny Noppert dispatched home favourite Basem Mahmood 6-1 with trademark efficiency.

Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price survived a testing opener against Motomu Sakai, sealing a 6-4 win that included an 11-dart leg of real authority. The Welshman now faces Littler in a quarter-final that promises a compelling contrast between raw momentum and seasoned power.

Nathan Aspinall completed the last-eight lineup with a 6-4 win over Lourence Ilagan, repeating the scoreline from their recent World Championship meeting and setting up a clash with Humphries.

The 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters resumes on Friday from 17:00 CET, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final all to be played in a single session.