Once again, it is a reminder that Littler feels like he is clear of the rest of the Tour and that the mental pressure of facing him is beginning to ramp up, much as it did in the past when players moved into position to beat the likes of Phil Taylor and van Gerwen.
Missing darts built up the sense of dread that the top player on the Tour would punish them and Luke Littler has done that enough in his relatively short time as a professional to have built that aura around him.
He will be playing at European Tour 3 this weekend and the Belgium Darts Open features the majority of the top names, although Price, Gian van Veen and Gary Anderson have withdrawn.
It is a big event for players looking to build up some confidence or build on the momentum that has been picked up ahead of the next set of Players Championship tournaments later in the month.
These European Tour events are the big titles to be won over the coming weeks and months until the World Cup of Darts is played on the same weekend as the Football World Cup begins. In that time there are plenty of Players Championship events to be played as well alongside the Premier League and it remains a busy time for the players and fans of the sport.
Last weekend was a difficult one for the Darts Picks at European Tour 2, but this is an opportunity to bounce back.
Day 1 features the entirety of the First Round being played across two Sessions, while the top Seeds join the party on Saturday with the Second Round split over two Sessions.
The selections from Night 7 at the Premier League at least got things moving back in a positive direction, but it is important to build on that in the Belgium Darts Open to keep things ticking over.
Ricky Evans to win & over 1.5 180s v Scott Williams: At his best, Scott Williams can be a very dangerous player, but the price has shortened on Ricky Evans to come through this good looking First Round match.
Both have been putting together inconsistent results over the last few weeks, but there has perhaps been one or two more flashes from Rapid Ricky.
He will need his scoring and Evans has always been a decent maximum hitter, but it is doubles that win matches and that cost him last weekend in the loss to Danny Noppert.
Scott Williams has lost four of his last five matches and has just been having his issues of late, but he did earn his spot in Belgium through the Qualifiers and beat some solid competition in his run.
So did Ricky Evans though and his numbers have been a little stronger to believe he can edge to the win with a couple of maximums thrown in too.
Dave Chisnall to win & over 1.5 180s v Thibault Tricole: The form over the last several months has been disappointing as far as Dave Chisnall is concerned, but he can find a way to get past an improving Thibault Tricole.
One of his wins to earn a Qualifying spot at the Belgium Darts Open was against Ricky Evans and he had a very strong run at Players Championship 6 when reaching the Semi Final.
That means Thibault Tricole has to be respected, but Dave Chisnall has beaten him once this season and usually enjoys taking part in these European Tour events.
There is a pressure on Chizzy to find some wins to avoid dropping too far in the World Rankings and having to eventually take part in the cutthroat business of Qualifying, but there is still some good darts being played.
Doing it for long enough, even in this short format, has been the problem for Dave Chisnall, but he may just have enough here to edge past a quality First Round opponent.
Scoring is going to be key and Chisnall can put together a couple of maximums during a match that should last at least nine Legs.
MY PICKS: Ricky Evans to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Dave Chisnall to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 33-48, - 8.04 Units (78 Units Staked, - 10.31% Yield)
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