Luke Littler (Jenny Segers/PDC Europe)
Luke Littler opened his bid for a third consecutive Belgian Darts Open title in style last night, as Andy Baetens and Kim Huybrechts preserved home hopes in Wieze.
Littler boasts a sensational record on Belgian soil, and the world number one delivered another dominant display at the Oktoberhallen to eliminate Croatian trailblazer Boris Krcmar.
The 19-year-old cantered into a 4-0 lead with an average north of 115, before kicking off the final leg with back-to-back 180s – eventually sealing his progress with a 104.70 average.
“I love it here,” admitted Littler, who also landed six 180s en route to a 6-2 victory.
“My first European Tour event was here. I want to win it again, and performances like that will put me up there.
“Coming off the back of that [Premier League] win in Ireland, it’s set me up well, and I can’t wait to go again tomorrow.”
Luke Humphries also joined Littler in advancing to Finals Day, as the 16 seeds entered the fray during an action-packed double session.
Humphries was forced to withstand a terrific fightback from Dirk van Duijvenbode in his opener, registering a ton-plus average and pinning six of his 12 double attempts to complete a 6-4 success.
Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen also made a winning start in Wieze, converting a crucial 114 combination to overcome a spirited Mickey Mansell by the same scoreline.
There were three Belgian representatives in action on Day Two, as Baetens and Huybrechts delighted their home crowd with 6-4 wins over Premier League duo Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock respectively.
Baetens punished a profligate Bunting to continue his charge on home soil, while Huybrechts rattled off four consecutive legs from 4-2 adrift to deny World Cup champion Rock.
However, Belgian number one Mike De Decker was unable to join his compatriots in the last 16, relinquishing a 5-3 lead against a nerveless Niels Zonneveld, who now meets Littler in the last 16.
Danny Noppert produced the performance of the day to confirm his last 16 berth, averaging 106.17 and landing a hat-trick of 11-darters in his 6-3 success against an excellent Luke Woodhouse.
Noppert’s reward will be a meeting with World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle, who converted a clutch 122 checkout to seal a deciding-leg victory over Ricky Evans.
Martin Schindler celebrated his first European Tour victory of 2026 in accounting for William O’Connor, and the German number one will now take on Baetens for a quarter-final spot.
Jonny Clayton and Ross Smith will go head-to-head in another fascinating tie, following hard-fought wins over Sebastian Bialecki and Cameron Menzies respectively.
Cristo Reyes claimed the scalp of James Wade to maintain his terrific start to 2026, dispatching the ten-time TV title winner 6-2 to progress to a tie against Ryan Joyce.
Joyce produced a typically clinical display to defeat Nathan Aspinall 6-3, as Chris Dobey dumped out Dave Chisnall by the same scoreline to continue his pursuit of a maiden European Tour title.
Elsewhere, Jermaine Wattimena recovered from a sluggish start to see off Ryan Meikle and create a tussle against Humphries, while Daryl Gurney will mark his 40th birthday with a clash against Van Gerwen, after recording his first career victory against Australian number one Damon Heta.
The remaining 16 players will battle it out on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session at the Oktoberhallen.
RESULTS
Round Two
Ross Smith 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Ryan Meikle
Chris Dobey 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Ryan Searle 6-5 Ricky Evans
Martin Schindler 6-3 William O’Connor
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Damon Heta
Danny Noppert 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
Cristo Reyes 6-2 James Wade
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Sebastian Bialecki
Andy Baetens 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Mike De Decker
Luke Littler 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Luke Humphries 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Mickey Mansell
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Josh Rock
