Luke Littler joked about a light-hearted exchange with a Liverpool fan as he powered into the last 16 of the Belgian Darts Open with a commanding 6–2 win over Boris Krčmar in Wieze. The teenage star, who averaged an impressive 104.7, revealed the walk-on banter, which came after he was told Belgium's national football team are nicknamed the Red Devils. "I didn't know that. There are a lot of Manchester United fans here. I know there was one Liverpool fan on the walk-on. I said you got beat 2–1 today," Littler said, laughing off the friendly rivalry.
Despite cruising past Krčmar, Littler was typically self-critical, suggesting his performance could have reached even greater heights. "It could have been a lot better," he admitted. "But as my first-round games go, it's always gone to plan here, and yeah, we move on to tomorrow." The 104.7 average underlined his dominance, even with what he described as a minor dip in the penultimate leg preventing an even bigger number.
Littler now faces Niels Zonneveld on Sunday in Wieze, a player he has yet to meet on the big stage. The Dutchman arrives in strong form, something Littler is fully aware of. "I always check the results, I always look at the European Tour results before I play, and he's been playing very well," he said. "But I'm stood in his way, and I'll definitely be on my A-game tomorrow." With confidence high and another big average already posted, Littler heads into finals day once again looking like the man to beat in Belgium.
