World no1 Michael van Gerwen surged to success to hold off the challenge of Peter 'Snakebite' Wright and retain his Dubai Duty Free Masters title with a relentless 11-7 final victory.
In front of a boisterous Dubai Tennis Stadium crowd, 'Mighty Mike' showed his class to reel off four legs in a row either side of the half-way mark to go 8-5 up.
There was to be no way back for Wright – boasting a psychedelically-coloured mohican with 'Dubai' written on his head in diamante – against the reigning Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Champion.
Van Gerwen finished in style, scoring his ninth 180 of the contest before pinning double 16. The Dutch Master's reward for heading the elite field for the two-day event containing the top-eight ranked players in the game was a $50,000 prize.
A scrappy affair saw Wright, who beat legendary 16-time world champion Phil 'The Power' Taylor on Thursday, see off fellow World Series debutant Dave Chisnall 11-8.
He was fighting against history in the decider, with Van Gerwen boasting a 20-7 win record in contests between them.
'Mighty Mike' started the decider played under sweltering night-time conditions with purpose, raising the crowd to its feet with a 180 with his first throw.
Wright – who has surged up the rankings from 23rd to 5th this year – remained undaunted, the pair sharing the first six legs.
Although there was nothing to separate them on the scoreboard, Van Gerwen was ramping up the pressure with an average-score-per throw weighing in at 10 higher.
England's Wright was refusing to crack, holding his nerve to checkout on bullseye with the Dutchman poised on 40 to level up at 4-4.
A remarkable 10th leg saw an emotional Van Gerwen pump the air with relief after going two-up for the first time, closing on 4 after both missed a series of presentable chances.
A break of throw followed for Van Gerwen, leaving 'Snakebite' with a huge challenge to recover. Wright showed he was not finished to give himself a glimmer of hope, checking out superbly from 158 to level to 9-6.
The door was quickly closed, to cement Van Gerwen's status as darts' preeminent force.