Luke Littler admitted “the game is not the same without me winning” after his hopes of completing a clean sweep of PDC major titles before his 20th birthday were ended by a shock 10-6 quarter-final defeat to Krzysztof Ratajski at the European Championship on Sunday afternoon.
The world No 1, who has dominated the darting landscape since bursting onto the scene as a teenager, was tipped to add the one major title missing from his collection. Instead, the Polish veteran produced a composed and clinical display to send Littler crashing out in Dortmund.
Littler, typically frank in defeat, did not hide his frustration.
“The game is not the same without me winning,” he said. “I expect to win every tournament I enter, and when I don’t, it hurts. Credit to Krzysztof — he played the big moments better than me — but this one stings. I wanted this title, and I wanted it before my 20th birthday.”
The 19-year-old had been in ominous form coming into the event, but Ratajski, a former World Matchplay semi-finalist, punished some uncharacteristic missed doubles and broke the Littler throw at crucial junctures to close out a famous victory.
The defeat ends Littler’s ambitious bid to claim every PDC major before turning 20 — a feat never before achieved in the sport. He had already ticked off the World Championship, Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series Finals among others, with the European Championship the glaring omission.
Ratajski, who advances to the semi-finals, was magnanimous in victory. “Luke is the best player in the world and he will win this title many times, I’m sure,” he said. “Today was my day. I stayed calm, took my chances, and I’m delighted.”
For Littler, the focus now shifts to the next major on the calendar — but the teenager made clear that anything less than a trophy will be considered a failure.
“I don’t play this game to make up the numbers,” he added. “I’ll be back, and I’ll be winning again soon. That’s just what I do.”
The darting world will be watching closely to see whether the world No 1 can turn his frustration into silverware — or whether his rivals can capitalise on a rare crack in the armour.