Luke Littler denied Mike De Decker from creating history at the Belgian Open and his rival showed it was water off a duck’s back – quite literally.
The 29-year-old drenched the teenager by pouring a bottle of water over his head following his 8-5 final defeat on Sunday night.
Had De Decker emerged victorious, he would have become the first Belgian player to win a title in the PDC European Tour on home soil.
But it wasn’t to be, as Littler continued his stunning form to defend his title in what is his third tournament success in 2025.
Having become the youngest player to win the World Championship, the 18-year-old followed that up by lifting the UK Open earlier this month.
His Belgian Open triumph comes just three days after he won his second night in the Premier League to cap what has been an incredible period for the youngster.
And while many darts players may be left frustrated over his dominance at present, De Decker remained in high spirits following his defeat.
After missing out on the £30,000 prize money, ‘The Real Deal’ poured water over Littler as the Manchester United fan prepared to collect his trophy on stage.
It was taken well by Littler, with the duo instantly laughing about it in what was a playful act of sportsmanship.
Littler then conducted his post-match interview dripping wet as he praised the fans in attendance for creating a special atmosphere.
He stated: “I’m very happy to retain my title in front of these great fans.
“I said last year there should be a Premier League night here, and there should be!”
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Pressed on what his ambitions are for the rest of the year as he looks to leapfrog Luke Humphries to become the world number one, Littler remarked: “No idea. I just have to see what comes at me.
“I said after the World Championship, if I don’t win anything throughout the whole year, I’m still a world champion.
“I’m happy to win the UK Open and come back here and go back-to-back, now it’s straight onto the Players Championship events and then back to the Premier League.”
As for De Decker, he had nothing but respect for his ‘incredible’ rival after coming up short in his first PDC European final.
He said: “I’m a bit sad that it didn’t go my way.
“Luke has been a phenomenal player for probably the last 18 years, but I’m doing a good thing.
“He’s special. For a year, what he’s been doing is incredible.
“You can break him as much as you want, he’ll find something to come back and that’s what he did again.
“That’s what he did all year and he did it again tonight.”
