Kevin Doets had fans laughing after jokingly pretending to throw a punch at Luke Littler following their entertaining clash at the UK Open Darts Championship.
The light-hearted moment came after the pair faced off in Minehead on Saturday.
Littler, 19, was in action in the fifth round as he continued the defence of the title he won last year.
However, the world champion and current world No.1 was pushed all the way before eventually securing a tense 10–8 victory.
Littler found himself trailing 2–0 early in the match and needed a brilliant 160 checkout to spark his comeback.
The contest remained tight throughout, and things might have turned out differently if Doets, 27, had managed to take his chance to level the score at 9–9.
But the Dutchman was unable to capitalise at the oche, with a few missed doubles proving costly at a crucial stage.
Those missed opportunities allowed Littler to finally seal the win and move on to the next round.
The teenage star celebrated enthusiastically as he booked his place in the last 16.
Despite the narrow and disappointing defeat, Doets kept the mood light at the end of the match.
After the final leg, he walked over to Littler and jokingly pretended to throw a punch in the Englishman’s direction.
Both players burst out laughing before sharing a friendly embrace.
Fans watching the match couldn’t help but wonder what might have been if Doets had been slightly more clinical on his doubles.
One supporter wrote: “Doets could have won that easily if he’d hit his doubles.”
Another commented: “Littler didn’t even get out of first gear.”
A third fan added: “Littler needs to raise his game in the next round.”
While another posted: “He’s got away with a very average performance there.”
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