Luke Littler stunned as he loses first ever match in Belgium with 12-match winning streak ended by 147 finish

Luke Littler saw his impressive 12-match winning streak in Wieze come to an end at the hands of Niels Zonneveld.

The world No.1 had previously been unbeatable on that stage, having lifted the Belgian Open title in each of the last two years without tasting defeat.

However, Littler — who has openly admitted he is not a fan of afternoon sessions — was caught off guard in a thrilling encounter, as Zonneveld produced a stunning display to edge the contest with a sensational 147 checkout.

Everything initially looked to be going to script for ‘The Nuke’, who raced into a 3-1 lead and appeared in control. But Zonneveld responded in style, reeling off big finishes including a superb 106 to swing the momentum and move 5-4 ahead.

The drama was far from over. Zonneveld squandered two match darts, allowing Littler to punish him with a brilliant 136 checkout to keep his hopes alive in spectacular fashion.

Yet the Dutchman refused to be denied. Showing remarkable composure under pressure, he returned to the oche and delivered a clinical 147 finish — the highlight of the match — to seal victory and book his place in the quarter-finals.

Despite the defeat, Littler still averaged an impressive 103, underlining the high quality of the contest even as his remarkable run in Wieze came to an end.

Speaking after the match, Zonneveld acknowledged the magnitude of his achievement against one of the sport’s leading stars.

He said: “I know of course that Luke Littler is a world-class player at this moment.

“I thought before the match, just play your own game, just do what you can.

“It was more difficult than I expected. When you get close to winning, you start thinking about it, and that makes it tough.

“But in the end I found a brilliant finish to win it — such a relief.”