World champion Luke Littler's bid for a third consecutive Belgian Darts Open title came to a dramatic end in the third round, as he was edged out 6-5 by Dutchman Niels Zonneveld in Wieze. The 19-year-old Englishman, who had won the event in 2024 and 2025, saw his 12-match unbeaten streak in the tournament halted in a tense decider.
Littler, making his debut at a PDC major event at the 2023 UK Open, suffered his first defeat in a ranking event since last October. Zonneveld, ranked world number 39, trailed 3-1 early on after the opening exchanges went against the throw, but fought back to take a 4-3 lead. In the 10th leg, the 27-year-old missed three match darts, allowing Littler to level the score with a 136 checkout.
However, Zonneveld sealed a memorable victory over the Warrington teenager with a superb 147 finish in the final-leg decider. Elsewhere, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, and Jonny Clayton were among those to progress to the quarter-finals later on Sunday. In other news, Greaves' 114-match winning run was ended by Sherrock.
