‘Sluggish’ Luke Littler survives major UK Open scare as darts star gives bizarre reason for slow start

Luke Littler admitted an early start almost derailed his bid to retain the UK Open Darts Championship after battling past Kevin Doets.

The world champion was far from his best in Minehead but managed to grind out a hard-fought 10–8 victory to keep his title defence alive.

Littler, 19, found himself 2–0 down against the Dutchman — nicknamed ‘Hawkeye’ — and needed a brilliant 160 checkout to spark his comeback after a sluggish start.

Reflecting on the match, Littler insisted nerves were not the issue but admitted the afternoon session proved difficult to adjust to.

He said: “I wouldn’t say I was nervy.

“These afternoon sessions are tough because you have to get up early.

“I managed to get the job done, but Kevin definitely played better than me today.

“Still, those are the kinds of games you’re happy to come through.

“You know you haven’t played your best, but you’ve still found a way to reach the next round.

“I’m not really someone who gets up early. I think I only arrived at the venue around 1pm when the session started.

“But somehow I managed to get past Kevin.”