Luke Littler beaten in last 16 to end hopes of Belgium hat-trick

Double defending champion Luke Littler will not make it a hat-trick of Belgian Darts Open titles after falling 5-6 to Dutchman Niels Zonneveld in a last-16 upset.

Zonneveld became the first person to beat the two-time reigning world champion in Wieze, where Littler had initially got out to a 3-1 lead after the first three legs went against the darts, but allowed his opponent to come back into the contest.

Zonneveld battled back, taking the lead for the first time to make it 4-3, but missed three match darts in the penultimate leg to open the door for Littler, who forced the decider with a 136 takeout.

He was not able to take advantage, and watched his campaign – and 12-match unbeaten run at the venue – come to a close when Zonneveld nailed a 147 checkout to win.