Littler's 14th Straight Match Win Seals Belgian Darts Open Glory Over De Decker
- Darts Central
- Mar 10
- 7 min read
The 2025 European Tour got underway this past weekend at the Oktoberhallen in Wieze, Belgium, from March 7–9. This marked the first of fourteen European Tour events on the PDC Pro Tour calendar and the first of two stops in Belgium this season.
PDC.tv commentator Dan Dawson has often described this as the ‘greatest tour in world sport’, and once again, it delivered world-class darting action from start to finish.
Prize Money Breakdown:
The prize fund remained at £175,000, unchanged from last year.
Stage | Prize Money |
Winner | £30,000 |
Runner-Up | £12,000 |
Semi-Finalists | £8,500 |
Quarter-Finalists | £6,000 |
Third Round Losers | £4,000 |
Second Round Losers | £2,500 |
First Round Losers | £1,250 |
Prize money only counts towards the Order of Merit if a player wins their opening match.
Seeded players (Top 16) enter in Round 2, meaning they must win their first match to avoid a £0 ranking payout.
Qualification & Format
The PDC introduced changes to the European Tour qualification criteria for 2025, refining how players secure their spots in each event.
The Top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit (2-year ranking) are seeded and automatically enter at the second-round stage.
The Top 16 players on the 1-year PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit enter in Round 1.
Seedings for each event were pre-determined and confirmed on February 7 for this tournament.
The 48-player field was completed via four separate qualifying events:
10 spots from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier (February 12)
4 spots from the Belgian Host Nation Qualifier (March 6)
1 spot from the Nordic & Baltic Associate Member Qualifier (February 14)
1 spot from the East European Associate Member Qualifier (February 1)
Day 1 – Host Nation Qualifiers Fall as De Decker Survives
The opening day saw the top 16 players from the Pro Tour Order of Merit and 16 qualifiers battling for the right to face the top 16 from the PDC Main Order of Merit in round two.
Shock Results & Standout Wins:
Boris Krcmar, the East European Qualifier, stunned UK Open semi-finalist Josh Rock with a 6-3 victory in a high-quality contest.
Matt Campbell edged out Cameron Menzies 6-5, taking full advantage after the Scot missed five match darts. It was a big result for the Canadian, marking his return to the European Tour for the first time since 2023 after failing to qualify for any of last season’s 13 events.
Host Nation Qualifiers Fall Short:
The four Belgian Host Nation Qualifiers put in battling displays but ultimately fell at the first hurdle:
Wessel Nijman edged past François Schweyen 6-5, with the Belgian missing two match darts.
Ross Smith scraped through 6-5 against Sybren Gijbels, who was sat on 40 when Smith took out double 12 for victory.
Cedric Waegemans pushed Luke Woodhouse all the way but fell to a 6-4 defeat.
Jermaine Wattimena proved too strong for Patrick De Backer, cruising to a 6-2 win.
Other Notable Round 1 Victories:
Former World Champion Michael Smith battled past Ryan Joyce 6-5.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld saw off Cam Crabtree 6-4.
Reigning European Champion Ritchie Edhouse defeated Owen Bates 6-4.
World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker, the home favourite, kept Belgian hopes alive with a narrow 6-5 win over Thomas Lovely, surviving two match darts.
However, Daryl Gurney delivered the performance of the day. The former major champion blew away French No.1 Thibault Tricole with a stunning 105.99 average and 60% checkout rate, storming to a comfortable victory.
Day 2 – The Top 16 Arrive, but 9 Crash Out Early
While some had reservations about the new European Tour qualifying system, the second round seemed to justify those concerns, as 9 of the top 16 seeds bowed out at the first hurdle.
Shock Exits & Big Performances:
Matt Campbell continued his dream return to the Euro Tour, dispatching Peter Wright with a 6-2 victory.
Meanwhile, five of the eight Premier League stars suffered early exits:
Chris Dobey lost 6-5 to Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Nathan Aspinall was edged out 6-5 by Ritchie Edhouse.
Michael van Gerwen fell 6-4 to a resurgent Boris Krcmar.
Rob Cross was dismantled 6-2 by Ross Smith, who set a tournament record average of 112.60.
World No.1 Luke Humphries was stunned 6-4 by Mike De Decker, sending the Belgian crowd into raptures.
There was no such luck for Dimitri Van den Bergh, however, as he suffered a disappointing 6-3 loss to Martin Schindler, leaving De Decker as the last Belgian standing.
Price, Littler & Bunting Impress:
Gerwyn Price continued his red-hot start to 2025 with a 112.42 average in a 6-2 win over Gian van Veen, coming agonisingly close to breaking the tournament record Ross Smith had set earlier in the day.
Damon Heta breezed past an out-of-sorts Michael Smith 6-0 in a one-sided affair.
Luke Littler and Stephen Bunting both secured routine wins to advance.
Jonny Clayton was pushed all the way but edged past Wessel Nijman 6-5.
Luke Woodhouse cruised past Gary Anderson 6-2, while Daryl Gurney delivered another dominant display, brushing aside Danny Noppert by the same scoreline.
Day 3 – Finals Day
The final day in Wieze began with 16 players battling for a place in the evening session, and by the end of the afternoon, several big names had booked their spots in the last eight.
Last 16:
Mike De Decker, Gerwyn Price, and Stephen Bunting all eased through with ton-plus averages, dispatching Martin Schindler, Damon Heta, and Daryl Gurney respectively.
Luke Littler battled past Luke Woodhouse 6-4, coming from 4-3 down with a late surge.
Dave Chisnall survived a match dart to edge past reigning European Champion Ritchie Edhouse 6-5.
Ross Smith overcame a 100 average from Matt Campbell to win 6-4 after a slow start.
James Wade and Jonny Clayton continued their strong form from the UK Open:
Wade beat Boris Krcmar 6-4.
Clayton scraped through 6-5 after Dirk van Duijvenbode missed three match darts.
Quarter-Finals:
Mike De Decker (6-4) Gerwyn Price – The Belgian continued his dream run, punishing Price’s missed doubles despite a high-scoring battle.
Ross Smith (6-5) Stephen Bunting – A scrappy affair with both averaging in the high 80s. The match-winning moment came when Smith took out 117 for a break in the decider.
Luke Littler (6-4) Dave Chisnall – Despite leading 4-2, Chisnall couldn’t withstand Littler’s scoring power, as the teenager reeled off four consecutive legs to seal the victory.
James Wade (6-4) Jonny Clayton – A tight battle, but Wade’s clinical finishing—including a 103 checkout—made the difference as he won three of the last four legs.
Semi-Finals:
Mike De Decker (7-6) Ross Smith
This was De Decker’s biggest test yet, as Smith led 6-4 and even had a match dart to wrap it up.
Smith missed double 18 for the win, and De Decker stepped in to take out double 14, sparking a crucial momentum shift. A 14-dart hold followed, forcing a deciding leg.
With Smith throwing first, the Belgian showed his class under pressure. After Smith’s poor start (hitting 26), De Decker calmly stepped up, landing a huge 140 to wrestle control.
Smith eventually left 58, but De Decker held his nerve, taking out 78 in two darts—Treble 18, Double 12—before letting out a huge roar, igniting the Wieze crowd.
Luke Littler (7-3) James Wade
A repeat of the UK Open final from just a week ago, but this time, Wade managed three legs—an improvement from his 11-2 defeat in Minehead.
At 3-3, it looked competitive, but once again, Littler shifted gears. He stormed through four straight legs, finishing in 12, 13, 13, and 14 darts, leaving Wade with no chances at a double.
The power scoring gap was glaring:
Littler: 7x 180s, 13x 140s
Wade: 1x 180, 6x 140s
Despite Wade's insistence that "the game isn't all about ton+ averages," Littler once again put that theory in doubt, dismantling the 10-time major champion with another ton-plus average.
🏆 The Final – Belgian Hero De Decker vs World Champion Littler
The final saw Mike De Decker—cheered on by a passionate home crowd—face reigning champion Luke Littler.
Tournament Stats before the final:
Player | Average | Checkout % | 180s | Highest Checkout | Matches Played |
De Decker | 96.2 | 38% | 13 | 170 | 5 |
Littler | 101.1 | 43% | 16 | 170 | 4 |
Match Recap:
The first two legs went on throw, before De Decker missed three darts at double in the third. Littler stepped in to take double top and followed up with a 12-darter to break for a 3-1 lead.
De Decker responded in style with an 84 checkout on the bull to break back, but every time he got close, Littler upped the pace.
At 5-3, Littler fired in another 12-dart leg before breaking again to move one leg from victory at 7-3.
De Decker’s Late Fightback:
Just when it seemed over, De Decker produced a late rally, winning back-to-back legs:
A 15-dart break.
A 12-dart hold, including back-to-back 180s.
With momentum shifting, the crowd urged him on, but Littler remained unshaken. In the final leg, he closed in 14 darts, silencing the Belgian fightback and defending his Belgian Darts Open title.
Final Match Stats:
Player | Average | 180s | Checkout % |
Littler | 102.87 | 6 | 53.33% (8/15) |
De Decker | 92.25 | 6 | 38.46% (5/13) |
Final Thoughts:
Luke Littler stretched his winning streak to 14 matches, adding the Belgian Darts Open to his UK Open and Premier League Night 6 triumphs—all in just 10 days. The teenager continues to dominate, proving once again why he's the most exciting talent in darts right now.
For Mike De Decker, this was a breakthrough weekend. From surviving match darts in Round 1 to knocking out Humphries, Schindler, Price, and Ross Smith, he thrived under the backing of the Belgian crowd.
While his Premier League omission remains a sore point, more consistent deep runs in European Tour events and TV majors will strengthen his case for future selection.
The European Tour now moves to Göttingen for the European Darts Trophy (ET2) from March 21-23, promising another weekend of elite darting drama.
🎙️ Post-Final Reaction:
Luke Littler expressed his happiness at retaining the Belgian Darts Open title, saying to PDC.tv, “I’m very happy to retain this title in front of these amazing fans.”
He acknowledged Mike De Decker’s strength on throw but was pleased with how he managed to gain and hold the lead, adding, “I managed to get the lead and then see it out.”
Reflecting on his recent success, Littler said, “I said at the start of the year if I don’t win anything all year, I’m still a World Champion,” and emphasized, “I’m happy to win the UK Open and come back here and go back-to-back; now it’s straight onto the Players Championship events and then back to the Premier League.”
Mike De Decker praised the Belgian crowd, saying to PDC.tv, “This crowd has been amazing, everyone wants to play in Belgium and they proved it again this weekend.”
Despite the loss, he acknowledged Littler’s skill, stating, “Luke is a phenomenal player; what he’s doing in the sport is incredible.” De Decker also saw the positive side, adding, “It’s a runner-up trophy this time but it’s another final so I’m on the right path.”
Upcoming Tournaments:
Players Championship 5 & 6 - Mattioli Arena, Leicester, 11th & 12th March - live on PDC.tv
Premier League Night 6 - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, 13th March - live on Sky Sports
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