“That annoyed me... I’m in the semi-finals too” - Dirk van Duijvenbode irritated by the amount of attention for Luke Littler

Dirk van Duijvenbode can look back on his best major result in a long time. The 34-year-old Dutchman unexpectedly reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, recording impressive wins over Chris Dobey, Michael van Gerwen, and Gary Anderson along the way. Still, there was also disappointment afterwards, as Luke Littler proved simply a class apart in the battle for a place in the final.

Van Duijvenbode opened his tournament with a hard-fought 13-11 victory over Dobey. That was followed by a spectacular win over compatriot Michael van Gerwen (14-12), before two-time World Matchplay champion Gary Anderson was also beaten 16-13. With that, ‘Aubergenius’ reached the semi-finals of a televised event for the first time since November 2024.

The Dutchman saw that achievement as confirmation he can still compete with the world’s best despite an inconsistent season. “I’m not surprised,” he told De Telegraaf. “But it wasn’t to be expected. I just haven’t had my best year, but I know I can do it.

“The opponents I beat are all players I’ve beaten before. So it wasn’t like I thought it was impossible to get this far. I’m pleased with the week, but not with the semi-final.”

Awaiting in the semi-final was Luke Littler, the tournament’s standout performer. The Englishman was on course for his second consecutive World Matchplay title and had already impressed in earlier rounds with his scoring power. Littler would ultimately finish the event with a record average of 111.04 and convincingly win the final against Gerwyn Price.

Even before the semi-final began, Van Duijvenbode noticed that virtually all attention was focused on his opponent. That caused considerable irritation.

“That annoyed me. As far as I know, I’m in the semi-final too, and that’s more special than him being there. The fact he’s throwing well isn’t strange either. And then the questions are still about him,” he fumed.

On stage it soon became clear why Littler is currently regarded as the best player in the world. Van Duijvenbode barely found his rhythm and had to watch the Englishman pull away leg after leg. The match eventually ended in a clear 17-5 win for the reigning world champion.

Although the result was a heavy blow, Van Duijvenbode realizes he was beaten at an exceptional level. According to the Dutchman, it felt as if Littler couldn’t miss.

“It makes no sense at all. You turn around and he hits another 180. At first you’re annoyed, because whether you lose big or not, I also just didn’t play great. But yeah, whether you lose 17-15 or 17-5, who cares! You’ve lost and you can go home.”

That most players would likely have suffered the same fate against a Littler in this form offers only limited comfort, according to Van Duijvenbode. He does stress that the Englishman is completely different off stage compared to during a match.

“He doesn’t intimidate me at all as a person, because he’s a very kind and calm lad, but at the oche he’s very good,” said the current world number 23.

Van Duijvenbode isn’t dwelling on the defeat for long. A day after his elimination, he’s already turning his attention to the Players Championship events in Hildesheim. There’s important prize money up for grabs again.

The Dutchman is not yet assured of entry to all the major televised events in the autumn. Strong results on the ProTour are therefore crucial to further improve his position on the various qualifying rankings.