Belgian Darts Open 2026 Round-up | Littler crashes out against Zonneveld as van Gerwen averages over 108 to defeat brilliant Gurney

Luke Littler’s reign of terror in the Belgian Darts Open has been obliterated by a world class performance by Niels Zonneveld. After reaching the semi-final on the Euro Tour last week, Zonneveld continues his purple patch after a scintillating showing on the oche was enough to take down a threatening Littler 6-5, blowing this tournament wide open.

Littler almost began in rampant fashion, hitting five treble 20’s on the spin before missing the bull for a 170 and to take out 350 in six. He cleaned up as he broke the Zonneveld throw before the Dutchman went six darts into the nine, going on to break straight back. The two-time world champion snuck back in front amid a horror show on the outer ring from both players.

The world number one held with a 122 on tops but Zonneveld stuck with him. He broke back on double 10 after surviving a 160 checkout scare from Littler. Double 10 again came in handy for Zonneveled against an opponent who was averaging 105. It was ‘The Nuke’s’ turn to be under pressure as Zonneveld missed a brace of darts to go 5-3 ahead. He made up for it in the next leg, taking out 146 on double 13 to move one away. Zonneveld would then miss a match dart on the 158 before another two were squandered by ‘Tripple Z.’ After seemingly having given up, Littler took out 136 to force a last-leg decider. Zonneveld then produced a bit of quality himself as he pinned double 18 for a 147 checkout to hand Littler his first defeat in this tournament.

Normally, matches between Luke Humphries and Jermaine Wattimena are completed at a fast pace. This one was done in double-quick time as the world number two won six legs on the spin to dump out ‘The Machine Gun’ 6-1. The pair traded early blows before an 11-darter moved Humphries out in front. ‘Cool Hand Luke’ grabbed the first hold of the match before checkouts of 60 and 61 moved him clear. The Dutchman could not come close to the former world champion who saw it out with the efficiency many used to see from Humphries.

On his 40th birthday, Daryl Gurney averaged a staggering 109.73. Despite this, Michael van Gerwen matched him with a phenomenal performance to win 6-5. Van Gerwen missed a dart to break on double five as Gurney stole a march. The Dutchman responded by taking out 82 in three. The birthday boy was not having a merry time on the oche, missing double 18 for a 156 which was again punished by van Gerwen with a clutch 129 checkout on the bull. A 12-dart reply from Gurney keeps him in it but despite averaging over 111, he fell to a 4-2 deficit against an ominous van Gerwen. A 12-darter and 122 checkout showcased how well Gurney was playing, but a loud roar from van Gerwen indicated he was one leg away from the last-eight. He could have sealed it with a 164 checkout, but Gurney fought back. He then produced the rabbit out of the hat with a 140 outshot with two double 20’s finishing it off. Van Gerwen’s response was one of a champion, going out in 12 darts after going seven into the perfect leg. He is the only former champion still standing.

For the second day in a row, Jonny Clayton recovered from a 3-2 deficit. He made hard work out of it, edging over the line against the former European champion Ross Smith 6-5. Clayton kicked off proceedings with a 12-dart break of throw, but it was instantly replied by the first of a trio of 14-darters. The match goes back on hold as the score goes level at 2-2 before Clayton breaks the throw with an 84 outshot. ‘Smudger’ broke back but a sixth opportunity was taken by the Premier League leader for his third break of the tie. He then showed his quality with a 120 checkout before he missed a first match dart at double 12 for a 141 outshot. This was in the midst of Smith failing to pin his intended target on the outer ring as he eventually got over the line on double nine. He then let out a huge roar after taking out 124. He was throwing for the match, but could not find his best arrows as Clayton nicked in and booked his spot in another quarterfinal in Wieze, prolonging his brilliant form.

Andy Baetens does not have a tour card. Many will be questioning how this is the case after what has been a brilliant return on home soil. Martin Schindler becomes his latest victim in another 6-5 win. Three holds kicked this match off before a burst from Schindler saw him move 3-2 ahead with some great scoring involved. This was nothing compared to what ‘The Beast from the East’ would conjure up. He took out 104 on tops before an 11-darter edged him clear. His average tipped over the 100 mark as he moved 5-3 clear. It was agonising for Baetens and the Belgian crowd as four missed darts allowed Schindler to keep in touch. An 11th leg was needed, and the former WDF world champion got the job done with his seventh match dart.

Unfortunately for the Belgian fans, Kim Huybrechts was not able to follow that up with another win. He went tumbling out to the hands of Chris Dobey in a 6-2 defeat. Dobey went a leg up before Huybrechts wired the bull for a 135 checkout. He could not clean up and despite coming remarkably close to a phenomenal outshot, Dobey cruised into a break advantage. A doubling disaster sees Dobey squander six darts for a 3-0 lead as the Belgian gets the match back on throw before letting out a passionate roar met by jubilant cheers from the crowd. A couple of legs later, Dobey let one out of his own after pinning the bull for a 130 to move 4-2 in front. This was not met by a flurry of excitement by a respectful Wieze crowd. This time he compounded his advantage with a 118 checkout on double 19. Two legs later, he got the job complete with his fourth match dart.

Ryan Searle averaged over 101, threw six 180’s and mustered up a match winning opportunity. It only makes sense that Danny Noppert will be the one involved later as he managed to salvage a 6-5 win from a perilous situation. ‘The Freeze’ started the brighter, breaking in the first leg enroute to a 2-0 lead. Searle would respond with three legs on the spin amid missed darts on the outer ring by Noppert. ‘Heavy Metal’s’ doubling would cost him further advantage as Noppert stuck with him. An 11-darter moved the World Championship semi-finalist within a leg of the quarterfinal, but a first match dart missed on the bull allowed Noppert to force a final leg decider. Searle left 121 after nine but was forced to take it out. He did not and Noppert took 81 out in two for a marvellous victory.

The last contest of the afternoon saw a real battle between Ryan Joyce and Cristo Reyes. The sublime finishing displayed from 'Relentless' saw him come out on top 6-5 to culminate a thrilling session of darts. It was not the most electric start from either player, but Joyce was the one pinning doubles. He went 2-0 ahead after Reyes had sloppy attempts to hold. A 110 checkout on double 16 edged Joyce futher clear before Reyes used that same target to get his leg on the board. This was the start of a rampage from the Spaniard. He levels up before a 12-darter puts him in the lead for the first time in the match and with a break advantage. Joce replied instantly, finishing a first 180 of the match before somehow squeezing a dart into the double 12 segment. The match then went to an 11th leg for the sixth time in the afternoon session. A 180 from 282 motored Joyce ahead before he took out 102 on double 16 to sneak into the final session.