Poland Darts Open earns Luke Littler a spot on an exclusive list
PDCMonday, 23 February 2026 at 12:30
Luke Littler clinched the title on Sunday evening at the 2026 Poland Darts Open. “The Nuke” proved too strong in a high-class final in Krakow, defeating the Dutchman Gian van Veen 8-4.
ADVERTISEMENT
That Littler deservedly took the title in Krakow is beyond doubt. The numbers speak for themselves: the 19-year-old Englishman won no fewer than 33 of his 44 legs played during the Poland Darts Open. That amounts to an impressive win rate of 75 percent. With that, Littler not only won the tournament, but also produced a statistical feat rarely matched on the European Tour.
Dominant display
It was only the fifteenth time in the history of the PDC European Tour that a tournament winner managed to win at least 75 percent of his legs. That underlines how dominant Littler was in Poland. Taking three-quarters of all legs played means your opponents have barely any sight of a break or a decisive moment. It points to constant pressure, scoring power, and clinical finishing.
Yet there is a small, exclusive category that goes even beyond this achievement. Only three times has the 80 percent barrier been exceeded. The highest mark belongs to Phil Taylor, who posted a stunning 83.7 percent at ET5 in 2013. Michael van Gerwen also delivered historic dominance: 83.3 percent in 2017 (ET10) and 82.5 percent in 2018 (also ET10).
Luke Littler overpowered Gian van Veen 8-4 in the Poland Darts Open final
That Littler is now mentioned in the same breath as these greats says a lot about his current level. Although he didn’t break the magical 80 percent, his 75 percent firmly places him among the most dominant Euro Tour winners ever. Especially given the depth and quality of today’s field, such a statistic is anything but a given.
ADVERTISEMENT
The performance in Poland once again confirms that Littler brings not only spectacle, but also numbers with historical weight. His combination of scoring power and composure on the doubles makes him the very best player in the world right now. If he continues along this path, it seems only a matter of time before he also challenges that 80 percent mark.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Why is this the main story? He chose not to compete in loads of tournaments,yes he's number 1 in the world,but he does have to turn up at tournaments! Play the next world championship in Dortmund and see if he turns up!!rick6727-08-2026
- This is exactly what I mean,littler survives the 1st round,I think you'll find a lot of other players did. Can you just report on the real sport,and not just 1 person. I like Luke,but this is getting boring now,as Kevin painter once said to Taylor!! The sport is about every player,not 1 who everyone seems to have put the sport on the map.,which he hasn't,he's just got in when the money is massive. Great as he is,it seems like what's the point in anyone trying,he's going to win everything,unless it's in Germany or Australia!!!rick6726-08-2026
- I mean look, Littler's picture is first,wattimena is second and he won! Level it up. I know littler is fantastic,but the sport was here before him,and will be when he's retired. Any player in the top 64/128 can beat each other,it's not big news. Poor Jermaine,wins it,and not even the headline!!rick6726-08-2026
- I appreciate that littler is a fantastic player,but the top 3 articles are about him. Before he'd thrown a dart in the tournament. Level it out a bit, Taylor and van gerwen soon got disliked as the media could only see them,and nobody else seemed to matterrick6725-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- I'd happily pay for a site free of Van der Voort's every squeak and utterance.StraightArrowNoBull19-08-2026
- I think you miss the point. It is just a poll if you are willing to pay for an ad-free site. The content stays free.SheGotLegs16-08-2026
- It's great to see Mark Webster looking well,he's a top ladrick6715-08-2026
- I'm sick of everything wanting paying for ad free stuff,every site you go on,it's pay pay for no ads. I mostly dread picking my phone up,as it's subscription required. I'm not surprised I'm bloody skint. Everyone wants to rob you for services that were freerick6714-08-2026
Loading
