Luke Littler dumped out of Bahrain Masters quarter-finals by former world champ

Luke Littler has unexpectedly crashed out of the Bahrain Masters after being beaten by former PDC World Champion Gerwyn Price.

The 6-2 loss was Littler's first defeat since winning the PDC World Championship title as he exited at the quarter-final stage. In fact, 'The Nuke' was brought down in emphatic fashion by Price, who averaged a remarkable 115.3. Lethal at the oche, The Iceman hit 60% on his doubles, throwing seven 180s. It was too much for the 17-year-old to handle, who admitted he was rusty after not throwing a single dart since his world title triumph on January 3 against Michael van Gerwen.

Speaking after the match, Littler said: "There weren’t any nerves. A bit of rust. A fresh set of darts. The ones I won the World Championship with are getting put away in a frame. It’s very hard to break in a new set of darts. I played alright in patches.

Price also missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish as he stunned the 17-year-old sensation.

The stunning result comes after the teenage darting sensation became a world-renowned star since his breakthrough at Ally Pally just over 12 months ago, with his success earlier this month in becoming the youngest world champion in history only enhancing his already superstar reputation.

The 17-year-old recently shared a picture on Instagram after opening a padlocked case with his gold iPhone inside, with his nickname ‘The Nuke’ inscribed on the back.

Thanks to @idg and @stradauae for the golden phone,” Littler posted on Instagram as he showed off the phone while wearing a black hat from Dubai real estate company Strada. One fan replied: "Mate you’re winning at life right now ,fair play to you lad".

It appears his "winning" streak has either come to at least a momentary end, with the loss to Price.