Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen star as seeds tumble at the Belgian Darts Open
Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen star as seeds tumble at the Belgian Darts Open
Luke Littler opened his bid for a third consecutive Belgian Darts Open title in emphatic fashion on Saturday, 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 stormed into a 4-0 lead with an average north of 115, before kicking off the final leg with back-to-back 180s, eventually sealing a 6-2 victory with a 104.70 average.
“I love it here,” admitted Littler, who also landed six maximums in a commanding performance.
“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 booked his place on Finals Day, as the 16 seeded stars entered the fray during an action-packed double session.
The world number two was forced to withstand a spirited fightback from Dirk van Duijvenbode, but a ton-plus average and six successful doubles from 12 attempts proved enough to complete a 6-4 success.
Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen also made a winning start in Wieze, producing a crucial 114 checkout to edge past a resilient 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 impressive 6-4 victories over Premier League duo Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock respectively.
Baetens punished a profligate Bunting to continue his charge, while Huybrechts produced a four-leg burst from 4-2 down 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 composed Niels Zonneveld, who now faces Littler for a place in the quarter-finals.
Danny Noppert produced arguably the performance of the day to confirm his progression, averaging 106.17 and landing a hat-trick of 11-darters in a 6-3 victory over Luke Woodhouse.
Noppert’s reward is a meeting with World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle, who converted a clutch 122 checkout to edge past Ricky Evans in a deciding-leg thriller.
German number one Martin Schindler celebrated his first European Tour win of 2026 by defeating William O’Connor, and will now take on Baetens for a place in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Jonny Clayton and Ross Smith will go head-to-head in another eye-catching tie, following hard-fought wins over Sebastian Bialecki and Cameron Menzies respectively.
Cristo Reyes maintained his impressive start to the season by dispatching ten-time TV title winner James Wade 6-2, setting up a meeting with Ryan Joyce.
Joyce delivered a typically clinical display to defeat Nathan Aspinall 6-3, while Chris Dobey accounted for 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 overcome Ryan Meikle and set up a clash with Humphries, while Daryl Gurney will mark his 40th birthday with a showdown against Van Gerwen, after recording his first career victory over Australian number one Damon Heta.
The remaining 16 players will return on Sunday afternoon to battle for a place in the latter stages, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session at the Oktoberhallen.
Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen star as seeds tumble at the Belgian Darts Open
2026 Lecot Belgian Darts Open
Saturday March 21
Round Two
Afternoon Session
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
Evening Session
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
Sunday March 22
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 GMT)
Round Three
Luke Littler v Niels Zonneveld
Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle
Jonny Clayton v Ross Smith
Andy Baetens v Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries v Jermaine Wattimena
Kim Huybrechts v Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney
Cristo Reyes v Ryan Joyce
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
