Luke Littler continues unbeaten record at the Belgian Darts Open as Aspinall, Bunting and Wade crash out
Luke Littler launched his quest for a hat-trick of Belgian Darts Open titles with victory over Boris Krcmar on Saturday, as Nathan Aspinall, Stephen Bunting and James Wade crashed out.
Littler extended his unbeaten run in Wieze to 12 matches with a routine 6-2 victory over Croatia’s Krcmar, averaging 104.7 with the aid of six 180s.
The 19-year-old cantered into a 4-0 lead with an average north of 115, before kicking off the final leg with back-to-back 180s and closing out a commanding win.
“I love it here,” admitted Littler. “My first European Tour event was here. I want to win it again, and performances like that will put me up there.
“Coming off the back of that [Premier League] win in Ireland, it’s set me up well, and I can’t wait to go again tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Luke Humphries was forced to withstand a terrific fightback from Dirk van Duijvenbode in his opener, registering a ton-plus average and pinning six of his 12 double attempts to complete a 6-4 success.
Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen also made a winning start in Wieze, producing a crucial 114 checkout to overcome a spirited Mickey Mansell by the same scoreline.
There were three Belgian representatives in action on Day Two, as Andy Baetens and Kim Huybrechts delighted their home crowd with 6-4 wins over Premier League duo Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock respectively.
Baetens punished a dreadful display of finishing Bunting to continue his charge on home soil, while Huybrechts rattled off four consecutive legs from 4-2 down to compound a week to forget on the oche for Rock.
However, Belgian number one Mike De Decker was unable to join his compatriots in the Last 16, squandering a 5-3 lead against a nerveless Niels Zonneveld – who now meets defending champion Littler in Round Three.
Danny Noppert produced the performance of the day to book his place in the Last 16, averaging 106.2 and landing a hat-trick of 11-darters in his 6-3 victory over Luke Woodhouse.
Noppert’s reward will be a meeting with World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle – who converted a clutch 122 checkout to seal a deciding-leg victory over Ricky Evans.
Spain’s Cristo Reyes continued his remarkable resurgence by dumping out UK Open finalist James Wade 6-2 to charge into Finals Day.
Martin Schindler celebrated his first European Tour victory of 2026 in accounting for William O’Connor, and the German number one will now take on Baetens for a quarter-final spot.
Jonny Clayton and Ross Smith will go head-to-head in another fascinating tie, following hard-fought wins over Sebastian Bialecki and Cameron Menzies respectively.
Ryan Joyce produced a typically clinical display to defeat a out of sorts Nathan Aspinall 6-3, while Chris Dobey dumped out Dave Chisnall by the same scoreline to continue his pursuit of a maiden European Tour title.
Jermaine Wattimena recovered from a sluggish start to see off Ryan Meikle and create a tussle against Humphries, while Daryl Gurney will mark his 40th birthday with a showdown against Van Gerwen, after recording his first career victory over Australian number one Damon Heta.
Belgian Darts Open 2026 Day Two Results
Saturday March 21
Second Round
Afternoon Session
Ross Smith 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Ryan Meikle
Chris Dobey 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Ryan Searle 6-5 Ricky Evans
Martin Schindler 6-3 William O’Connor
Damon Heta 3-6 Daryl Gurney
Danny Noppert 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Nathan Aspinall 3-6 Ryan Joyce
Evening Session
James Wade 2-6 Cristo Reyes
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Sebastian Bialecki
Stephen Bunting 4-6 Andy Baetens
Mike De Decker 5-6 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Littler 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Luke Humphries 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Mickey Mansell
Josh Rock 4-6 Kim Huybrechts
