Luke Littler replies as opponent brands him 'arrogant' after angry confrontation
Luke Littler has reacted with bemusement after being accused of arrogance by a defeated opponent at the Belgian Darts Open.
Littler overcame Rob Cross in superb fashion to win the title on his first appearance on the European Tour. The 17-year-old was in electric form in Wieze, hitting a nine-darter in the final against Cross on his way to a 8-7 victory.
But his triumph was not without incident, with Ricardo Pietreczko unhappy with the manner of his defeat in the semi-final. The 29-year-old German, known by his nickname Pikachu, turned heads with his reaction after losing 7-3.
Pietreczko leaned in close and had some stern words for Littler while shaking hands on the stage. Littler looked baffled by the clear signs of aggression, but quickly brushed it off before celebrating in front of the crowd.
Pietreczko later used his Instagram story to fire a furious message to his opponent, although he didn’t reveal what it was he said after the match. He wrote: “I really appreciate the fact that he can play a game like that at such an age. But I hope his arrogance punishes him.” Before facing Cross in the final, Littler found time to respond on social media: “No idea what I did wrong, no idea what he said. He said something then don’t do it again.”
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Responding to a video of Littler saying “get out” to Pietreczko, former player Wayne Mardle tweeted: “A justified response.” He added: “When some players lose, they act disrespectfully because they have lost…and that has to change. Respect your opponent.” In a separate post, he wrote: “Professional darts is a stressful environment. It’s not for everyone.”
Littler is unlikely to care much about Pietreczko’s grievance, given he has just landed a £30,000 prize for his victory in Belgium. He made no mention of the confrontation in his post-match press conference after overcoming Cross in an epic contest.
Luke Littler was not fazed by the incident and hit a nine-darter in the final against Rob Cross (Sky Sports)"I'm just glad to get over the line," he said. “I lost the two legs after I hit the nine so I'm relieved to get the win. It's always good to be involved in a good game – me and Rob have battles and we bring the best out of each other.
"I'm really happy to hit a nine-darter, I prefer 144 to 141 to finish a nine because when the first treble 20 goes in I'm confident of following it with another. I know the spotlight is on me because I've done so well but I just play my darts and get on with it. I just do what I do."
Cross averaged 108 in the final but still couldn’t get over the line. He paid tribute to his teenage opponent, saying: "I wanted a big display and I got a big display. I missed a few chances but I can't be bitter about them. Luke is special, he has such a bright future in front of him – the nine [darter] was amazing. I've loved playing in front of this crowd. I've really enjoyed my weekend here."
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