“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’s quest for victory at the 2025 Belgian Darts Open concluded with a narrow defeat on Sunday night. He faced reigning world champion Luke Littler in the final, succumbing to an 8-5 loss. Despite this, De Decker’s impressive performances throughout the weekend provided his Belgian supporters in Wieze with ample cause for celebration.
To the enthusiastic cheers of the home crowd, De Decker secured his place in the final with consecutive victories on Sunday. He triumphed over Martin Schindler in the round of sixteen, Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals, and Ross Smith in the semi-finals. Throughout the day, the Belgian displayed a consistently high level of play, a welcome resurgence following a sluggish start to the 2025 season after a change in his darts equipment.
In the final match against Littler, who once again delivered an average exceeding one hundred, De Decker’s performance dipped slightly, registering an average of 92.25. Consequently, his inaugural final appearance on the European Tour did not yield a maiden title. The twenty-nine-year-old Belgian expressed disappointment, yet also conveyed pride in his overall performance. Echoing the chants during the match, the audience vociferously called out his name during his on-stage interview.
“This audience is truly exceptional. Everyone wants to come to Belgium,” De Decker remarked with a warm smile. “It is a pity that the final did not go my way, but Littler is a remarkable player. At his age… What he is achieving is incredible. You must already be very good to defeat him; if you are anything less, you have no chance whatsoever.”
This performance enables De Decker to maintain his twenty-first position in the world rankings, while also narrowing the gap to the top twenty. The Professional Darts Corporation Pro Tour 2025 resumes on Tuesday in Leicester with two Players Championships scheduled. The European Tour’s next destination is Göttingen, Germany, where the European Darts Trophy will be held from March twenty-first to twenty-third.
