Luke Littler hits nine-dart to win Belgian Open

Teenage darts star Luke Littler won his first European title with a nine-dart on his debut.

The 17-year-old hit nine darts to move 6-5 ahead of Rob Cross in a thrilling final of the Belgian Open in Vize.

Littler then lost two games in a row before fighting back to win 8-7.

A nine-dart finish is a perfect round because it means the player has reached the required score with as few darts as possible.

Littler’s win at Weese meant he won £30,000 in prize money.

The teenager, who also hit a nine-dart on his World Series debut, said afterwards: “I’m delighted to have crossed the finish line.

“I hit nine and lost the next two rounds, so I’m happy to get across the finish line. It’s always good to be in a good race.

“Like Rob just said, I get the best out of him and he appreciates that, so we always push ourselves to the last stop.”

Cross defeated Gervin Price 7-3 in the semi-finals to compete in his ninth European Tour final. Cross couldn’t hide his disappointment but praised Littler after the win.

“He works really hard,” Cross said. “I wanted a big showcase and got a big showcase. To be fair, I missed a few chances but I loved the crowd this weekend.

“This young man has such a bright future and a flawless nine-dart, it’s fantastic. This boy is special.”

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Earlier on Sunday, Littler advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-3 win over Damon Herta and a 7-7 win over Jermaine Wattimena in the final four after defeating Jermaine Wattimena 6-2. 3 defeated Ricardo Pietrecko.

Pietrecki was harshly critical of Littler after the German’s semi-final defeat, which tarnished his first European Tour victory.

The pair appeared to have an exchange on stage after the game, with Pietrecko later posting on Instagram: “So I admire him a lot and you can play a game like this at such a young age but I hope the arrogance Attitudes can be punished,” he said. “

Littler responded on Twitter: “Don’t know what I did wrong, don’t know what he said, then don’t do it again.”