Luke Humphries secured the Belgian Darts Open title with an 8-6 win over Jonny Clayton – then joked it might increase his makes an attempt to change into “the second-best participant on the earth”.
World champion Luke Littler’s shock third-round exit to Niels Zonneveld paved the way in which for Englishman Humphries to clinch his ninth European Tour title with victory over Clayton.
Humphries, 31, had squeezed previous Chris Dobey 6-5 within the quarter-finals earlier than he emphatically dispatched Michael van Gerwen 7-2 within the semi-finals.
Clayton received the opening leg within the remaining however Humphries reeled off the subsequent six to take a commanding 6-1 lead just for the Welshman to stage a fightback.
Nevertheless, Humphries denied Clayton the possibility of a last-leg decider with a 13-darter to clinch the title in Wieze.
“It is one in every of them issues the place I really feel my sport’s been there, then it isn’t, then it’s,” Humphries mentioned on stage after a his win over Clayton.
“Often in these circumstances I shut the sport out so much higher, however once you’re not profitable as a lot they change into tougher and you’re feeling the nerves.
“I am simply devoted and dealing so exhausting to push each dart participant and be the most effective model of myself.
“I’ll hold making an attempt to be the second-best participant on the earth – apparently.”
World primary Littler had earlier been knocked out after a 6-5 defeat by Zonneveld.
Littler was on a streak of 12 matches unbeaten within the match and was bidding for a hat-trick of victories in Wieze, having received the occasion in 2024 and 2025.
However the 19-year-old Englishman suffered his first defeat in a rating occasion since final October by the hands of world quantity 39 Zonneveld of the Netherlands.
Zonneveld had trailed 3-1 to Littler, after the opening exchanges went towards the throw, earlier than he battled again to take a 4-3 lead.
The 27-year-old Dutchman missed three match darts within the tenth leg which allowed Littler to degree the rating with a 136 checkout.
Nevertheless, Zonneveld then produced an excellent 147 end within the final-leg decider to safe a memorable victory over the Warrington teenager.
