The 2025 Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters kicked off with a thrilling opening night at Copenhagen’s Forum Copenhagen, where teenage darts prodigy Luke Littler made a spectacular debut. The 18-year-old world champion, known as “The Nuke,” battled through a challenging first-round match against Swedish newcomer Viktor Tingstrom, securing a hard-fought victory to advance to Saturday’s quarter-finals. The event, part of the PDC World Series of Darts, showcased a clash of eight PDC superstars against eight Nordic and Baltic representatives, setting the stage for an electrifying weekend in Denmark’s capital.
Littler, competing in his first Nordic Darts Masters after missing last year’s event due to a planned vacation, faced a determined Tingstrom, ranked 147th in the world. The match, played in a best-of-11-legs format, tested Littler’s resilience. Initially trailing 3-2, the young star found himself under pressure as Tingstrom, a 24-year-old Stockholm native nicknamed “Belkin Boy,” displayed flashes of brilliance. However, Littler’s composure shone through as he unleashed an 11-darter to level the score, leaving the crowd buzzing and the player himself with a look of bemusement. From there, he reeled off four consecutive legs to clinch the win, booking a quarter-final showdown against Nathan Aspinall. “Littler battles through!” exclaimed the PDC’s live coverage, capturing the intensity of the moment as the teenager turned the tide in a gruelling affair.
The victory underscored Littler’s status as the pre-tournament favorite, with bookmakers boosting his odds to 13/8 to lift the trophy. His recent form, including a record-setting 169 180s in the Premier League and a 44.94% checkout rate, made him the player to beat. Despite a recent loss to Luke Humphries in the Premier League final at the O2 Arena, Littler’s hunger for redemption was evident. His performance against Tingstrom, while not a whitewash as some predicted, demonstrated his ability to adapt under pressure, a hallmark of his rapid rise in the sport.
Tingstrom, making his Nordic Darts Masters debut, showed why he’s an emerging talent. Having earned his PDC Tour Card in January 2025 at European Q-School, the Swede has a history of success, including WDF Europe Cup titles and a Finnish Masters crown in 2023. Yet, facing Littler proved a daunting task. His finishing, with less than a third of double attempts successful, couldn’t match Littler’s precision, and the teenager’s relentless scoring power ultimately proved decisive.
Elsewhere on day one, the Forum Copenhagen was alive with action. Defending champion Gerwyn Price began his title defense against Norway’s Cor Dekker, while world number one Luke Humphries took on Latvia’s Madars Razma. Top seed Stephen Bunting, fresh off his Bahrain Darts Masters triumph, faced Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak, and 2024 runner-up Rob Cross met another Swede, Andreas Harrysson. Nathan Aspinall, buoyed by his recent European Darts Open victory, clashed with Denmark’s Benjamin Reus, while Jonny Clayton and Chris Dobey rounded out the PDC stars against Darius Labanauskas and Jeffrey de Graaf, respectively. The first round set the tone for a competitive tournament, with Saturday’s quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final promising a blockbuster conclusion.
Littler’s win wasn’t just a personal triumph but a statement of intent. As he prepares to face Aspinall, who declared, “If you want something you have to fight, to believe you can do it,” the stage is set for a thrilling battle. With a field brimming with talent and local hopes like Reus carrying the support of the Copenhagen crowd, the 2025 Nordic Darts Masters is shaping up to be a showcase of darts at its finest. Fans can catch the action live on ITV4, DAZN, Viaplay, or PDCTV, as the world’s best vie for glory in Denmark.
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