Luke Littler has made history by winning the UK Open, defeating James Wade 11-7 in the final to become only the fourth player ever to successfully defend the title in Minehead, joining Raymond van Barneveld, Phil Taylor, and Michael van Gerwen. Former world champion John Part, now an analyst for Sky Sports, sees a foreboding sign for the chasing pack, noting that Littler did not hit his absolute peak at the tournament but still impressed with his ability to close out matches. "It is ominous in that sense that he is winning everything anyway. He is not playing his very best, not consistently," Part said on the Love The Darts podcast.
Throughout the UK Open, Littler had spells where his game didn't fully click, yet he consistently managed to strike at decisive moments. Part highlighted this as a quality only the elite possess, saying, "He is managing games well in terms of getting the job done. I really admire that he's throwing the darts when needed, but he just looks sloppy far too often as well." The Canadian believes this shows Littler can win with a so-called B-game, and if he returns to his top level consistently, the gap to the competition could widen further. Littler's path to the title included victories over Damon Heta, Kevin Doets, Gary Anderson, Danny Noppert, and Josh Rock before facing Wade, with a tense clash against Rock where the Northern Irishman briefly led.
Part also noted that Littler's less dominant wins give rivals hope, as opponents remember they had chances and are eager for another shot. "These players who he is doing it against, they are going to remember the next time and they're going to be eager for another chance to walk into him because they're not getting just completely slaughtered," he said. However, Part warned that if no one hands Littler a clear defeat, his confidence will only grow: "The problem is if someone doesn't get into him and do some damage and really actually bother his confidence, his confidence is going to get even higher. He will be thinking that he is not even playing his best and he is winning all these things."
In the final, Littler faced Wade, who is enjoying a strong start to the season. Part suggested Wade's snub from the Premier League Darts may have motivated him, saying, "I think he had a little bit of a case to get in the Premier League. But I look at it - if he had got in the Premier League, would he be doing all this now? It's sort of like the response, the indignity, the outrage, whatever he's feeling inside has been a motivational factor." Part added that if Wade maintains his form and wins a major in 2026, it could put him back in contention for future Premier League selections.
