“Completely outclassed... he was insanely good” – Dirk van Duijvenbode realistic after drubbing by Luke Littler

Dirk van Duijvenbode saw his dream of a first final at the World Matchplay shattered on Saturday night. The Dutchman was outclassed 17-5 in the semifinals by a rampant Luke Littler, who delivered another exhibition of his remarkable class with a 110.88 average.

Van Duijvenbode was frank in his post-match assessment: the Englishman was simply a class apart, though he was frustrated he hadn’t shown more himself.

“Completely outclassed,” was Van Duijvenbode’s blunt verdict straight after the match to Viaplay. “I could have done a bit more. I still would have lost, but I could have done a bit more than I did. That does annoy me a little. But he was insanely good.”

Early in the match, Van Duijvenbode felt there was little to be gained. Littler kept firing relentless heavy scores and barely gave the Dutchman a chance to get into the contest.

“At a certain point you also know you’re going to lose,” he admitted. “Yeah, I can tack on a few legs, but it’s not sustainable.”

Even so, Van Duijvenbode stepped on stage with confidence. In fact, he was annoyed beforehand by how many people seemed to treat the semifinal as a mere formality for Littler.

“I actually went in feeling positive. I was a bit irritated and demotivated by all the people who were incredibly demotivating towards me. Including in interviews. I got ten questions and eight of them were about Littler. I did have more belief myself. But ultimately it turns out it doesn’t matter.”

That confidence faded quickly once Littler hit his extraordinary level. Van Duijvenbode felt above all that he had sold himself short. “I have to add that I think I’m better than five legs. However good someone is, I do think I can win one in four or one in five legs.”

According to Van Duijvenbode, the biggest problem wasn’t only Littler’s level, but also the mental effect the reigning world champion has on his opponents.

“At a certain point you stop believing. You think: he’s just really good. I start with 174 and think: come on, step on it. And then he immediately throws another 12-darter. I’m a bit sloppy and he punishes it right away.”

The Dutchman saw that even in Littler’s weaker legs he barely gave anything away. “Now and then he had a few legs where he dipped a bit. But I wasn’t there either. It stopped being from the perspective of winning and became about winning a few more legs.”

That is what frustrated him. “There can only be one winner, but I’m a bit annoyed about those five legs. That really could have been more. Only at a certain point I couldn’t motivate myself anymore.”

Van Duijvenbode admitted that during the match he had thoughts he normally never has. “At a certain point you think: I’m not going to beat him anyway. Then I almost don’t care whether I have eight legs or five. At one point I was mostly glad I didn’t get stuck on zero.”

To the Dutchman, that says everything about the impression Littler is making right now. “It makes no sense to have those thoughts, but they do pop up. That also shows how good he is. I wouldn’t have that against anyone else. When I practice, I throw 12-darters half the time. This is so intimidating what he does. At a certain point there just wasn’t much belief left.”

Despite the heavy defeat, Van Duijvenbode still managed a smile along the way. During one of the breaks he even decided to address Littler in a light-hearted way. “I said before that session: ‘Mate, if you keep this up, I’m not going to win.’ That made him laugh.”

He also tried to keep things light during the match. “That 130 of his was just another 12-darter. I said: ‘It’s fun and all, but can you stop with those 12-darters.’ He laughed, but he didn’t stop.”

Van Duijvenbode did have one small highlight himself when he produced a fine 146 checkout. “That felt good for a moment. At least you have a little moment.”

Still, the overriding feeling was that he had sold himself short. “The only thing I’m annoyed about is that I didn’t play well myself. That you lose this match… yeah, bluntly put, but everyone would have lost to him. Maybe everyone in history, I think.”

Despite all the admiration, he remains convinced the final score flattered Littler. “However well he throws, I can definitely win more legs. Only it becomes so intimidating at a certain point that you think it’s fine. That’s what annoys me. That 17-5 could really have been eight to ten legs.”

After the initial disappointment, satisfaction with his Blackpool campaign prevailed. Van Duijvenbode reached the World Matchplay semifinals for the first time and beat several top players along the way.

“I’ve had a fantastic tournament. Look, Gian van Veen is world number three and Gerwyn Price number seven. I’m number 28 and I’m playing the world number one. Then it’s not surprising that I lose.”

Moreover, the Dutchman expects a welcome boost on the world ranking. “I’ll climb a few places again and I’ve delivered a good performance this week. I’ve beaten incredibly strong opponents.”

Van Duijvenbode pointed out that he wasn’t the favorite at the oche in several matches. “Against Dobey I didn’t really see myself as the underdog, but not the favorite either. After that I was the underdog twice and won them both. Then you’re doing very well.”

Littler also had kind words for Van Duijvenbode afterwards. “Luke said to me: ‘Well played.’ I said: ‘Well, not this match.’ But of course he meant the whole tournament. He said it was tidy that I’d made the semifinals. And I actually agree with that.”

Although the 17-5 defeat was a tough one to take, Van Duijvenbode ultimately put things into perspective. “I’m disappointed to lose with five legs. But on the other hand, it wouldn’t have made much difference if I’d taken eight, ten, or twelve. One thing I know for sure: I was never getting to seventeen legs today.”