Humphries Claims Maiden Belgian Darts Open Title as Littler's Streak Ends

Luke Humphries proved his doubters wrong by defeating Jonny Clayton 8-6 to secure his first stage title since September, while Luke Littler's 12-match winning streak at the Belgian Darts Open came to a shocking end at the hands of Niels Zonneveld. Humphries delivered a series of impressive performances on Sunday, overcoming Jermaine Wattimena, Chris Dobey, and Michael van Gerwen before outlasting Premier League leader Clayton in the final to claim the Belgian Darts Open for the first time in his career and his ninth European Tour title overall. Ranked second in the world, Humphries dominated Wattimena 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals, where he narrowly edged Dobey 6-5 despite missing 24 darts at double. However, he produced the standout performance of the night, crushing Van Gerwen 7-2 with a 105.96 average and a 129 checkout to seal the win. Clayton initially took the lead in the contest, winning the opening leg, but Humphries seized control, winning six consecutive legs to take a commanding 6-1 lead over the Welshman, landing checkouts of 142 and 130 in the second and seventh legs, respectively. 'The Ferret' staged an excellent fightback, winning four out of the next five legs, including a phenomenal 126 checkout on the bull in the leg after Humphries missed the bull himself on a 132 combination finish to go one away from victory. Humphries denied Clayton a last-leg decider, though, as 'Cool Hand' pinned a 13-dart leg to clinch the title, despite late heroics from the Welshman. After collecting the trophy, Humphries admitted, 'It's one of those things where I feel my game's been there, then it's not, then it is. My scoring is good, but my doubles are not, and I put myself under pressure.' He added, 'I did in the end there because Jonny is one of the most underrated darts players in the world. He's always there, and you can't shake him off. He's got the perfect nickname (The Ferret) because he's just there, and he won't leave. It's credit to him for coming back.' The reigning Premier League champion also stated, 'It's nice to get that winning feeling again. A nice big trophy on the big stage.' Littler entered the tournament as a back-to-back undefeated champion and seemed in high spirits when he dismantled Boris Krcmar 6-2 in his opening match, averaging 104.70 in a remarkable display on Saturday. However, 'The Nuke' was unable to continue his success in Belgium as Dutchman Zonneveld produced a magical 147 checkout to beat the world No 1 in a dramatic last-leg decider earlier in the day. The back-to-back world champion averaged more than 103 and produced finishes of 122 and 136, but his reign was ended as 'Triple Z' completed a stunning comeback from 3-1 down to book his place in the quarterfinals. Zonneveld said, 'It was more difficult than I thought before the match. I always wondered why people think about it when they can beat him.' He added, 'I was in that position, and it was really hard, but in the end, I took out a brilliant finish to beat him. It's such a relief. I showed some really good nerve there. I'm so happy.' The 2026 Winamax European Tour will resume with the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich from April 4-6. Three-time world champion Van Gerwen will be eyeing a second successive triumph at the Zenith, Munich, with Humphries setting his sights on back-to-back titles in Germany. Niels Zonneveld is the first player outside the Top 12 to beat Luke Littler since PC34 in October 2025, when he lost to Matt Campbell. He is the first player outside the Top 16 to beat him on a stage since Andrew Gilding at the 2024 European Championships - 17 months ago.