"It's a shame it didn't go my way in the final, but Luke Littler is special" - Mike De Decker falls just short of home win at Belgian Darts Open 2025

Mike De Decker narrowly missed out on taking the overall victory at the 2025 Belgian Darts Open on Sunday night. 'The Real Deal' lost in the final 8-5 to reigning world champion Luke Littler. Nevertheless, De Decker's performances over the course of the weekend gave his compatriots in Wieze plenty of reason to celebrate.

To the delight of the home fans, De Decker qualified for the final after wins on Sunday against Martin Schindler in the last 16, Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals and then Ross Smith in the semi-finals. Throughout the day, the Belgian was also performing at a very high level, something much needed after a slow start to the 2025 season following a change of darts.

In the final, against a Littler who again threw well over a hundred average, De Decker stayed a bit below his level with an average of 92.25. So in his first final on the European Tour, no first title followed. The 29-year-old Belgian was obviously disappointed, but also proud of his performance. Just like during the match, the crowd shouted his name en masse when De Decker was interviewed on stage.

"This audience is really great. Everyone wants to come to Belgium," De Decker smiled warmly. "It's a shame it didn't go my way in the final, but Littler is a special one. At his age... What he's doing is incredible. You already have to be very good to win against it, if you're already less than that, you can forget about it completely."

With this performance, De Decker remains 21st in the world rankings, but does climb a little closer to the top 20 again. The PDC Pro Tour 2025 continues on Tuesday in Leicester with two Players Championships scheduled. The next stop of the European Tour is Göttingen, Germany, where the European Darts Trophy will take place from March 21-23.