Luke Littler sent a statement of intent in Krakow on Saturday night, launching his title bid at the 2026 Poland Darts Open with a commanding 6-1 victory over Mike De Decker. The reigning world champion posted an impressive 113.84 average and a flawless display of finishing, hitting six doubles from six attempts, to secure the win. For De Decker, it marked a ninth straight defeat against Littler.
After a balanced opening that saw the Belgian level at 1-1, Littler took complete control with five legs in a row, including checkouts of 86 and 72, underlining the gulf in class on the night. The strong display came at a crucial time for Littler, whose start to the Premier League Darts campaign has been stuttering, and he aimed to show himself and the crowd what he can really do in Poland.
"I definitely needed this tonight," Littler said on stage afterwards. "I definitely needed to put on a performance not only for myself but for the fans. It's not gone my way for the first three weeks in the Premier League. But this is Poland's first European Tour, and I always want to win the first European Tour of the year." This is no empty threat from Littler, as in each of his previous two Euro Tour campaigns, the first title of the year has gone to the teenage sensation.
Littler added, "Even when we went to Saudi last month for the World Series, I wanted to win it. I got the job done. This is only the first game. Michael (van Gerwen) and Phil (Taylor) always wanted to be the first winner, and I certainly want to be the first winner here this weekend." Despite looking in top form, he remained level-headed about the rest of the tournament, thanking the fans in attendance: "It's always interesting what to expect from a new crowd. It's their first Euro Tour, it's our first Euro Tour coming here. Amazing fans."
