LONDON — Gian van Veen admitted it did not feel good to get “smashed” by an “unplayable” Luke Littler in Saturday’s World Darts Championship final.

Littler, 18, became the first player since Gary Anderson 10 years ago to win back-to-back World Championship titles with a 7-1 triumph over Van Veen.

“It will drive me on very much,” Van Veen said of his defeat.

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“I know what it’s like to play in the World Championship final now. I know what it’s like to get really far in the tournament, but I also know what it’s like to lose in the final. And I’ll tell you, it doesn’t feel great, of course, but especially to get smashed like I did today.”

“But hopefully next year I’m going to win another couple of games because that’s always the goal, always the goal in this tournament.”

The one set Van Veen claimed was the first of the match, but a missed dart at double in the second set gave Littler the chance to level things up and the match got away from the Dutchman from that point on.

Gian van Veen suffered a 7-1 loss to Luke Littler in Saturday’s World Darts Championship final. John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

“The 127 finish on double eight. I think the leg before I took it out, that time I missed it on the wire. Then Luke took out the 60 on the last dart and he kept doing that for the rest of the match,” Van Veen, who later described Littler as “unplayable,” said.

“Maybe he missed a couple of darts a double, but he took it out every time on his final dart of that visit and that gave me so much pain.

“Of course, I’m looking at the board and I saw him when he’s left 20s outside, inside, double five, last dart every time. And then next leg he started with 140, 180. So yeah, probably the second set cost me the game.”

As well as an appearance from the Ally Pally wasp, the match was notable for the sight of Van Veen’s blood on the dartboard in the sixth set.

“It was in the break. As you can see here, my left pinky, it hit the door of the toilet in the break. I went to the toilet. I got stuck with my left pinky in the door, so I ripped it open and then my pinky hit the board,” Van Veen explained.

“So there was some blood on the board and the PDC wanted to change that board. So Luke was like, ‘what’s happening?’ So I explained it to him and stuff like that. It was all good, but yeah, as you say, it’s not really usual, of course.”

Van Veen’s progress to the final of the World Championship has seen him provisionally rise to No. 3 in the world rankings.