Sporting Life
Luke Littler wins the UK Open (Picture: PDC)
Luke Littler wins the UK Open (Picture: PDC)

Darts results: Luke Littler makes more history as he defeats James Wade to defend his UK Open title in Minehead

By Chris Hammer
Darts
Sun March 08, 2026 · 1M ago

Luke Littler became the fourth player in history to defend the UK Open title after beating James Wade 11-7 in a repeat of the 2025 final in Minehead.

The 'FA Cup of darts' is deemed one of the hardest to win due to the open draw format but the world champion came through a hard-fought battle against the Machine - who he thrashed 11-2 on this stage last year - to follow in the footsteps of Raymond van Barneveld (2006 & 2007), Phil Taylor (2009 & 2010) and Michael van Gerwen (2015 & 2016) to go back-to-back.

None of these legends were able to make it a hat-trick of successive UK Open titles so that will already be one of Littler's future targets as he strives to keep breaking records in his remarkable career.

The Nuke, who reached the climax of this tournament by virtue of winning his 16th major semi-final out of 16, now has 12 PDC majors to his name which sees him move past Wade in the all-time list and now there's only Phil Taylor (79) and Michael van Gerwen (48) ahead of him despite being just 19 years of age.

Littler has won the last five major titles having also lifted the trophies at the Grand Slam, Players Championship Finals, World Championship and World Masters but perhaps most worrying for everyone else is that he wasn't at his brilliant best this weekend.

“This feels amazing,” said Littler. “I don’t think it’s been the best of tournaments for myself averages wise, but I’ve dug deep throughout the tournament and I’ve come out with the win.

“If James had hit some of those darts at double top it would have been a completely different game, but me and James always have a good battle.

“Coming into the tournament I saw that the last person to go back-to-back was Michael ten years ago, same as the World Championship, so that was the target I set myself!

“I don’t think many people expected me to come here and win, and I don’t think many people expected me to win in the Premier League on Thursday.

“I had a little dry spell, but I think I can say I’m back!”

Minehead is certainly proving to be one of his most dominant venues having won his last 18 matches on this stage which have heralded three of his major titles.

Littler began the final day with a 10-6 victory over Danny Noppert before a gruelling 11-9 triumph over Josh Rock, who led 5-1 before suffering his seventh successive defeat to the teenager in all competitions.

The world number one had previously overcome Damon Heta on Friday evening before beating Kevin Doets and Gary Anderson on Saturday.

As for Wade, he's has now lost three finals to Littler in the last 12 months having also finished runner-up to the superstar teenager at the 2025 World Matchplay but once again he's underlined his legendary longevity 20 years after reaching his first of 29 finals.

"Luke was just too good for me there in the end,” said Wade, who was chasing a fourth UK Open title.

"I couldn’t quite find it, but hats off to Luke, he’s doing what he does and he does it quite easily!

“I think for the last 18 months I’ve done alright. Luke’s flying the flag. He’s the best player in the world at the moment, and unfortunately I’ve lost to him in three finals!

“I’m happy to be in the final. I hate losing more than anyone, but I lost to the better player on the day.”

Wade, who was competing in his 24th successive UK Open, had defeated Chris Dobey, Gabriel Clemens and Michael van Gerwen to reach the final day, on which he edged out both Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price to reach his fifth UK Open final.

Unfortunately for him, his 100% record in UK Open finals was ended by the history-making Littler.

Luke Littler: PDC Roll of honour

  • World Championship: 2025 & 2026
  • World Matchplay: 2025
  • Premier League: 2024
  • Grand Slam: 2024 & 2025
  • World Grand Prix: 2025
  • UK Open: 2025 & 2026
  • World Masters: 2026
  • Players Championship Finals: 2025
  • World Series Finals: 2024
  • European Tour titles x4
  • World Series tour titles x4
  • Pro Tour titles x4
  • World Youth Championship: 2023
  • Nine-darters: 7
  • Televised nine-darters: 4

2026 Ladbrokes UK Open: Round-by-round results

Friday March 6
Afternoon Session
Main Stage
Round One
Charlie Manby 6-3 Stefan Bellmont
Sam Spivey 6-2 Kyle Gilding
Pascal Rupprecht 6-1 Jenson Walker
Mervyn King 6-4 Aden Kirk
Michael Unterbuchner 6-5 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Adam Leek 6-5 David Sharp
Rhys Griffin 6-2 Filip Bereza
Stephen Burton 6-2 Jake Eichen
Cristo Reyes 6-3 Graham Usher
Tyler Thorpe 6-0 Pero Ljubic
Kai Gotthardt 6-4 Daniel Lee
Jack Todd 6-4 Carl Sneyd
Stephen Rosney 6-5 Clive Langford
Alexander Merkx 6-3 Jannis Barkhausen
Tom Sykes 6-2 Sean Ryan
Sietse Lap 6-3 Ted Evetts
Samuel Whittaker 6-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Oliver King 6-3 Ryan Branley
Benjamin Pratnemer 6-3 Callum Goffin
Darius Labanauskas 6-4 Callum Francis
Owen Bates 6-3 Yorick Hofkens
Niall Culleton 6-3 Lewis Pearse
Jamai van den Herik 6-3 Graham Hall
Jurjen van der Velde 6-4 Jack Tweddell
Arno Merk 6-5 James Beeton
Scott Campbell BYE (Danny van Trijp withdrew due to personal reasons)
Ron Meulenkamp 6-2 Samuel Price
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-4 Scott Waites
Patrik Williams 6-4 Simon Stevenson
Marvin Kraft BYE (Matthias Ehlers withdrew due to injury)
Chris Landman 6-2 Nathan Potter
Henry Coates 6-3 Neil Wild

Round Two
Sebastian Bialecki 6-5 Christian Kist
Tom Bissell 6-2 Jimmy van Schie
Darryl Pilgrim 6-4 Beau Greaves
Pascal Rupprecht 6-5 Cam Crabtree
Thomas Lovely 6-4 Shane McGuirk
Adam Gawlas 6-0 Tavis Dudeney
Jim Long 6-0 Tytus Kanik
Sam Spivey 6-5 Max Hopp
Rob Owen 6-4 Stefaan Henderyck
Darius Labanauskas 6-3 Maximilian Czerwinski
Greg Ritchie 6-3 Adam Leek
Leon Weber 6-5 Jurjen van der Velde
Owen Bates 6-4 Wesley Plaisier
Oskar Lukasiak 6-2 Rhys Griffin
Henry Coates 6-4 Adam Paxton
Charlie Manby 6-2 Tyler Thorpe
Niall Culleton BYE (Viktor Tingstrom has withdrawn due to personal reasons)
Adam Warner 6-5 Ron Meulenkamp
Dominik Gruellich 6-1 Jamai van den Herik
Cristo Reyes 6-1 Sietse Lap
Patrik Williams 6-5 Cor Dekker
Scott Campbell 6-1 Dennie Olde Kalter
Alexander Merkx 6-2 Marvin van Velzen
Jeffrey Sparidaans 6-3 Chris Landman
Andy Boulton 6-4 Mervyn King
Michael Unterbuchner 6-5 Maik Kuivenhoven
Benjamin Pratnemer 6-1 Samuel Whittaker
Kai Gotthardt 6-2 Marvin Kraft
Adam Lipscombe 6-0 Jack Todd
Bradley Brooks 6-5 Oliver King
Tom Sykes 6-4 Arno Merk
Stephen Rosney 6-4 Stephen Burton

Round Three
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Karel Sedlacek
Ricky Evans 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Peter Wright 6-3 Darius Labanauskas
Kevin Doets 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko
Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Keane Barry 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Joe Cullen 6-3 Pascal Rupprecht
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Lukas Wenig
Niels Zonneveld 6-3 Tom Bissell
Connor Scutt 6-3 Jeffrey Sparidaans
Alexander Merkx 6-5 Sam Spivey
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-1 Adam Warner
Jim Long 6-5 Callan Rydz
Darryl Pilgrim 6-5 Rob Owen
Kai Gotthardt 6-4 Niko Springer
William O'Connor 6-4 Ryan Meikle
Adam Lipscombe 6-5 Nick Kenny
Andy Boulton 6-4 Patrik Williams
Henry Coates 6-4 Michael Unterbuchner
Leon Weber 6-5 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Richard Veenstra 6-4 Alan Soutar
Greg Ritchie 6-5 Mickey Mansell
Thibault Tricole 6-4 Stephen Rosney
Tom Sykes 6-4 Cristo Reyes
Madars Razma 6-2 Adam Gawlas
Dominik Gruellich 6-4 Justin Hood
Oskar Lukasiak 6-3 Bradley Brooks
Charlie Manby 6-4 James Hurrell
Martin Lukeman 6-4 Thomas Lovely
Scott Campbell 6-2 Ian White
Niall Culleton 6-4 Owen Bates
Benjamin Pratnemer 6-4 Scott Williams

Evening Session
Round Four
Rob Cross 10-7 Gian van Veen
Luke Humphries 10-3 Luke Woodhouse
Luke Littler 10-3 Damon Heta
Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Nathan Aspinall
Danny Noppert 10-4 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Martin Schindler 10-8 Joe Cullen
Gary Anderson 10-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode
James Wade 10-9 Chris Dobey
Mensur Suljovic 10-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Michael Smith 10-8 Leon Weber
Oskar Lukasiak 10-7 Benjamin Pratnemer
Keane Barry 10-2 Henry Coates
Gerwyn Price 10-3 Greg Ritchie
Martin Lukeman 10-6 Ritchie Edhouse
Ross Smith 10-4 Andrew Gilding
Kai Gotthardt 10-8 Tom Sykes
Dominik Gruellich 10-8 Niall Culleton
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-4 Ricky Evans
Madars Razma 10-9 Jim Long
Peter Wright 10-6 Cameron Menzies
Kevin Doets 10-5 Jeffrey de Graaf
Stephen Bunting 10-5 Thibault Tricole
Daryl Gurney 10-7 Niels Zonneveld
Ryan Joyce 10-6 Charlie Manby
Gabriel Clemens 10-9 Richard Veenstra
Wessel Nijman 10-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Darryl Pilgrim 10-5 Connor Scutt
Josh Rock 10-9 William O'Connor
Jonny Clayton 10-2 Alexander Merkx
Ryan Searle 10-7 Andy Boulton
Mike De Decker 10-8 Adam Lipscombe
Dave Chisnall 10-5 Scott Campbell

Round Five
Gary Anderson 10-7 Martin Schindler
Gerwyn Price 10-5 Wessel Nijman
Luke Littler 10-8 Kevin Doets
Luke Humphries 10-4 Dave Chisnall
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Darryl Pilgrim
Danny Noppert 10-2 Peter Wright
Rob Cross 10-9 Mike De Decker
Michael van Gerwen 10-6 Kai Gotthardt
Daryl Gurney 10-8 Ross Smith
Stephen Bunting 10-2 Mensur Suljovic
Josh Rock 10-7 Dominik Gruellich
Keane Barry 10-7 Ryan Joyce
Martin Lukeman 10-3 Madars Razma
James Wade 10-2 Gabriel Clemens
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-5 Oskar Lukasiak
Ryan Searle 10-9 Michael Smith

Round Six
Josh Rock 10-7 Stephen Bunting
Luke Littler 10-5 Gary Anderson
James Wade 10-3 Michael van Gerwen
Danny Noppert 10-6 Luke Humphries
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Martin Lukeman
Rob Cross 10-6 Daryl Gurney
Gerwyn Price 10-9 Keane Barry
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-5 Ryan Searle

Quarter-Finals
Josh Rock 10-7 Krzysztof Ratajski
James Wade 10-9 Rob Cross
Luke Littler 10-6 Danny Noppert
Gerwyn Price 10-8 Jonny Clayton

Semi-Finals
James Wade 11-8 Gerwyn Price
Luke Littler v Josh Rock

Final
Luke Littler 11-7 James Wade

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