“I needed this tonight... It’s not gone my way in the Premier League” – Luke Littler silences doubts with statement win over Mike De Decker in Krakow

Luke Littler sent a real statement of intent in Krakow on Saturday night. The reigning world champion launched his title bid with a commanding 6-1 win over Mike De Decker at the 2026 Poland Darts Open.

With an impressive 113.84 average and flawless display of finishing on the doubles, six from six, he left no doubt about his form. For De Decker, it was also a ninth straight defeat against Littler.

After a balanced opening in which the Belgian leveled at 1-1, Littler took complete control. Five legs on the spin, including 86 and 72 checkouts, underlined the gulf in class on the night.

The strong display came at the right time for Littler. His start to the Premier League Darts campaign has been stuttering, and in Poland, he wanted to show himself and the crowd what he can really do.

“I definitely needed this tonight,” Littler said on stage afterwards. “I definitely needed to put on a performance not only for myself but for the fans. It’s not gone my way for the first three weeks in the Premier League. But this is Poland’s first European Tour, and I always want to win the first European Tour of the year."

That's not an empty threat from Littler either. In each of his previous two Euro Tour campaigns, the first title of the year has gone to the teenage sensation.

“Even when we went to Saudi last month for the World Series, I wanted to win it. I got the job done," he explains. “This is only the first game. Michael (van Gerwen) and Phil (Taylor) always wanted to be the first winner, and I certainly want to be the first winner here this weekend."

Although Littler looked in top form in Krakow, he remained level-headed about the rest of the tournament, making sure to thank the fans in attendance. “It's always interesting what to expect from a new crowd. It’s their first Euro Tour, it’s our first Euro Tour coming here. Amazing fans,” he concluded.