Luke Humphries defeated Jonny Clayton 8-6 to claim his first stage title since September as Luke Littler’s 12-match winning streak at the Belgian Darts Open ended in a shock defeat to Niels Zonneveld.
Humphries produced a string of impressive performances on Sunday to beat Jermaine Wattimena, Chris Dobey, Michael van Gerwen and then see of Premier League leader Clayton in the final to claim the Belgian Darts Open for the first time in his career and a ninth European Tour title overall.
World No 2 Humphries demolished Wattimena 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals where he scraped through against Dobey 6-5 despite missing 24 darts at double. But he produced the performance of the night in crushing Van Gerwen 7-2 with a 105.96 average and a 129 checkout to seal the win.
‘Cool Hand’ fended off a fightback from Clayton in the final with ‘The Ferret’ fighting back from 6-1 and 6-3 down with Humphries stumbling over the finishing line.
“It’s one of them things where I feel my game’s been there, then it’s not, then it is. My scoring is good but my doubles are not and I put myself under pressure,” admitted Humphries after collecting the trophy.
“Usually in those circumstances I close the game out a lot better but when you’re not winning as much they become harder and you feel the nerves.
“I did in the end there because Jonny is one of the most underrated darts players in the world. He’s always there and you can’t shake him off. He’s got the perfect nickname (The Ferret) because he’s just there and he won’t leave. It’s credit to him for coming back.
“It’s nice to get that winning feeling again. A nice big trophy on the big stage.”
And the reigning Premier League champion added: “I’m going to keep trying, keep pushing, keep working hard. Keep my aura levels up because I have to keep trying to be the second best player in the world, apparently!”
Littler suffered a shock defeat in Wieze
Littler came into this tournament as a back-to-back undefeated champion and looked in the mood when he dismantled Boris Krcmar 6-2 in his opening match, averaging 104.70 in a remarkable display on Saturday.
But Littler was unable to continue his love affair with Belgium as Dutchman Zonneveld produced a magical 147 checkout to beat the world champion in a dramatic last-leg decider in the third round.
Littler makes early exit; MVG spoils Gurney’s birthday celebrations
Netherlands’ Zonneveld completed a brilliant comeback to dump out world No 1 Littler
The back-to-back world champion averaged more than 103 and produced finishes of 122 and 136, but his reign was ended as ‘Triple Z’ complete a stunning comeback from 3-1 down to book his place in the quarter-finals.
“It was more difficult than I thought before the match,” Zonneveld said. “I always wondered why people think about it when they can beat him.
“I was in that position and it was really hard but in the end I took out a brilliant finish to beat him.
“It’s such a relief. I showed some really good nerve there. I’m so happy.”
Also in last-16 action, Noppert broke Ryan Searle in a last-leg decider to win 6-5 to set up an all-Dutch clash with Zonneveld.
On a day when six of the eight games were decided in the final possible leg, Andy Baetens kept Belgian hopes alive in a 6-5 win over Martin Schindler, while Clayton overcame Ross Smith by the same scoreline.
Fellow home favourite Kim Huybrechts was beaten 6-3 by Dobey, while Van Gerwen spoiled Daryl Gurney’s 40th birthday celebrations in 6-5 win, and Ryan Joyce hit a 102 finish in the last leg against Cristo Reyes.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights as Luke Littler produced an unbelievable comeback to defeat Gerwyn Price on Night Seven of the Premier League in Dublin
Sunday March 22
Afternoon Session
Round Three
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Luke Littler
Danny Noppert 6-5 Ryan Searle
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Ross Smith
Andy Baetens 6-5 Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Chris Dobey 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Ryan Joyce 6-5 Cristo Reyes
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Niels Zonneveld 6-3 Danny Noppert
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Andy Baetens
Luke Humphries 6-5 Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Semi-Finals
Jonny Clayton 7-6 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Humphries 7-2 Michael van Gerwen
Fina
Luke Humphries 8-6 Jonny Clayton
What’s happening on Premier League Night Eight in Berlin?
Night Eight of the BetMGM Premier League will take place in Berlin on Thursday March 26, as Littler begins his bid for a third nightly victory of 2026 against Bunting at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
League leader Clayton will take on Rock in the evening’s opener, Humphries and Van Gerwen also go head-to-head, while Price takes on Van Veen for a place in the semi-finals.
Quarter-Final fixtures for 14 of the 16 league nights are in draw bracket order, with fixtures for Night Eight and Night 16 determined by league standings heading into each night.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
Leave a Reply