Luke Littler continued his domination of the darts scene at the PDC Euro Tour over the weekend, winding up two separate opponents, hitting a 9-darter, and lifting a trophy after a riveting final at the Belgian Darts Open.
The drama started with Littler’s game Vs Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, who twice went to Littler’s table and drunk his water, which Littler saw as a deliberate attempt to get in his head. Did it work though? Of course not. After crushing the Pole 6-3, Littler said:
‘I saw him drink a bit of my water. I saw him do it again so I just put it on the floor. Trying to get to me. If he is then fair enough, I’m just glad to get the win.’
Then came a tense meeting with Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko in the semis. Littler easily dispatched of the German with a 7-3 win, but was then confronted by his angry opponent who delivered some choice words, clearly shocking Littler in the process. Here’s the footage:
🗣️ “I hope the arrogance punishes him”
Luke Littler’s Belgian Darts Open semi-final opponent Ricardo Pietreczko was not happy with the 17-year-old following his defeat 🗯️ pic.twitter.com/1o32FSEHKv
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) March 11, 2024
So it’s not quite clear what Pietreczko’s issue was aside from being a grown man made to cry by a 17-year-old who’s better than him at darts, so it’s probably just sour grapes and nothing to do with Littler being ‘arrogant’ or whatever Pietreczko claims. For what it’s worth, Luke Littler isn’t even sure what the German said to him, he just understood that he was supremely p1ssed off:
‘No idea what I did wrong, no idea what he said. He said something then said don’t do it again. I’m just glad to get over the line.’
Seems like he’s just quietly confident at his own game, but I guess the line between confidence and arrogance can depend largely on your POV and having just been battered at darts by a teenager in front of the world. Absolutely rattled by a child! Better luck next time, Pietreczko.
For the ‘fart-gate’ scandal that rocked the darts world a few weeks back, click HERE. Now there’s a tactic Pietreczko could have come with.
