RATAJSKI BEATS LITTLER IN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINAL

Krzysztof Ratajski beat Luke Littler 10-6 in the European Championship quarter-finals in Dortmund. The defeat ended Littler’s bid to complete a set of major televised darts titles this year. The European Championship is the only title in that set he has yet to win. Michael van Gerwen is the only player to have won every major televised event available to Littler. Littler wrote on Instagram: “Played well in the lead up to today, but just didn’t click for me earlier.”

Ratajski won seven consecutive legs to establish a 7-1 lead over the world number one. Littler reduced the gap to 8-6 before Ratajski closed out the match. Ratajski said Littler improved after the second break and that he concentrated on his own throw. “He won three or four legs in a row and then I took a chance when he missed a double seven,” Ratajski said. Littler had recorded an average of 114 against Nathan Aspinall in Saturday’s second round.

Ross Smith went on to win the European Championship, beating Martin Schindler 11-8 in the final. Smith defeated Luke Woodhouse in the quarter-finals and Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals. The title was Smith’s second major in six weeks, following his World Series of Darts Finals victory in September. He entered the tournament as top seed on the basis of his 2026 European Tour performances. Littler won the World Matchplay in July, then exited the World Series of Darts Finals in the quarter-finals and the World Grand Prix in the first round.