Luke Littler is determined to complete a clean sweep of trophies in 2026 after successfully defending his UK Open title in Minehead. The world champion secured an 11-7 victory over veteran James Wade in the final for the second consecutive year.
Starting the year strong with his second world title, Littler acknowledges a slower start to the Premier League but remains focused on capturing every major tournament this year. “That’s obviously the main aim,” Littler said when asked about his ambitions for 2026.
His recent win at the Premier League event in Cardiff, which boosted him from seventh to third place, was a significant turning point. “It meant a lot to come here to the UK Open and defend the trophy,” he added, reflecting on the challenging tournament where he sometimes struggled with his finishing.
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By holding off Wade, Littler became only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back UK Open titles and the first since Michael van Gerwen achieved the feat in 2015 and 2016. Littler took home the £120,000 first prize.
Known as the ‘FA Cup of darts,’ the UK Open started with 160 players, with Littler and Wade as the final two contestants. Last year, Littler overwhelmed Wade 11-2 in the final, and this year started strongly with three consecutive leg wins. Wade fought back to level the game multiple times, pushing Littler to raise his game.
The turning point came at the 15th leg when Wade missed a crucial bullseye, allowing Littler to hit a 116 checkout that energized the crowd and gave him a decisive lead. Littler then pulled away to close out the match despite not playing at his absolute best.
Earlier in the tournament, Littler dramatically overcame double trouble in his semi-final against Josh Rock. After missing 16 consecutive darts at doubles and falling behind 5-1, Littler dug deep to win 11-9, preserving his perfect 7-0 record against Rock and denying him a first major final appearance.
Meanwhile, Gerwyn Price’s quest for his first UK Open title ended in the semi-finals when James Wade surged to an 11-8 victory, highlighted by 11 maximum 180s and an impressive 105.53 average.