Former professional Vincent van der Voort has voiced sharp criticism of the elite players' inability to challenge Luke Littler, despite the young world champion securing a second consecutive UK Open title. Speaking on the podcast Darts Draait Door, Van der Voort argued that the issue lies not with Littler himself, but with top players failing to apply real pressure. "I find it more worrying that the top players don't show up against him. That bothers me more," he said, noting that many established names dip below their usual level when facing Littler. "None of them play their best match against him. You should at least feel he's being pushed to the limit. And if he's still better, fine. But he doesn't even have to play that well to win."
Van der Voort pointed to specific examples from the UK Open in Minehead, where he felt players in form faltered against Littler. He cited Gary Anderson, who played a strong tournament but wasn't at his best at the key moment. "They didn't show up," Van der Voort remarked. He also highlighted the Dutch contingent, with Kevin Doets and Danny Noppert keeping pace in patches but failing to press on. Doets averaged around 90 for long periods, finishing on 97, while Littler was only around 93, yet Doets couldn't pull away. Noppert took a heavy blow with a 161 checkout from Littler while sitting on 25, which Van der Voort called a moment of brilliance that ended the match.
Strikingly, Van der Voort felt Littler did not even hit his top level at the tournament, making his dominance more concerning. "He wasn't even brilliant this tournament. You had the sense he was there for the taking. But if everyone fails to play the game they want against him, he still wins," he said. He praised Littler's composure, noting that at one point Littler was on eight percent on doubles but didn't force his throw, instead maintaining consistency until it clicked. Van der Voort also mentioned Josh Rock, who went 9-7 up with the throw but produced a combined 105 points in two visits, allowing Littler to kick on and turn the match.
Beyond Littler, Van der Voort commended James Wade's performance, reaching the final with strong play, including a 116 average in his semi-final against Gerwyn Price. Price averaged around 104 but was outscored by Wade. Van der Voort singled out Price as one of the few with the mentality to challenge Littler, saying, "He's got it. He wants to win at all costs. Shame he didn't reach the final. We need more players like that." He also criticized Luke Humphries for falling early again, missing doubles and failing to recover against Noppert. On the rankings, Van der Voort noted that players like Wade and Jonny Clayton are edging closer to Michael van Gerwen, who faces an important period with prize money to defend, potentially dropping to around twentieth if he doesn't perform.
