Littler through as Van Gerwen suffers early Euros exit
Luke Littler beat William O’Connor 6-3 to reach the European Championship second round, while Michael van Gerwen was eliminated in his opening match. Littler’s progress keeps alive his bid to win the only major title missing from his collection.
The 19-year-old hit six 180s and averaged 105 over three darts in the best-of-11 match. He next faces Nathan Aspinall, who also won 6-3; van Gerwen fell 6-3 to fellow Dutchman Kevin Doets after trailing 5-1, and Doets will meet Krzysztof Ratajski in the last 16.
In short
- Littler beat O’Connor 6-3 to reach round two.
- Van Gerwen lost 6-3 to Kevin Doets.
- Littler is chasing his first European Championship title.
Explained simply
The European Championship is a major darts tournament on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) circuit. Players compete in short matches, with each leg won by reaching zero from 501, finishing on a double.
Luke Littler is an English player who rose to prominence as a teenager and has since won several major titles. The European Championship is the one major title missing from his collection; Michael van Gerwen, a Dutch player and multiple-time world champion, is one of the sport’s most successful figures.
The tournament brings together leading players from across Europe and is played as a knockout, so one defeat ends a player’s run. Its place among the PDC’s major events makes it a chance for players to add a significant title to their records.