Darts results: Gary Anderson and Peter Wright crash out of UK Open but Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price battle into round two
Peter Wright, Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall were the biggest stars to fall on the opening night of the UK Open after receiving no luck in the 'FA Cup of Darts' draw.
- Scroll down for full results and fifth-round draw
All three players have won this major in the last four years but on this occasion the random draw format saw them pitted against Dave Chisnall, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Krzysztof Ratajski in tough opening assignments and none of them prevailed.
Anderson, who triumphed in 2018 when the event was last staged behind closed doors due to a freak storm rather than the lingering impact of a freak global pandemic, went right to the wire with van Duijvenbode in a match of twists and turns but last year's World Grand Prix runner-up pinched it with a 14-darter when his opponent agonisingly waited on 41.
The popular Aubergine farmer, who was one of our pre-tournament tips at 33/1 following an impressive Super Series last week, boasted a superior average of 101 compared to Anderson's 94 and hit three more 180s with six although the Flying Scotsman did manage two 100+ checkouts.
Wright, who beat Gerwyn Price in the 2017 edition to win his maiden major title, was well below his best as Dave Chisnall cruised to a 10-5 victory in the final match of the night with an impressive 100 average that was rarely put under pressure.
Snakebite posted a mark of 94.25, hit just two maximums and missed 12 of his 17 darts at doubles in a below-par display while Chizzy will take plenty of confidence into the weekend as he chases his maiden TV major.
Aspinall, the 2019 champion at odds of 125/1, will lose a whopping £98,000 of ranking money and drop out of the top 10 in the Order of Merit after suffering a 10-5 defeat at the hands of the dangerous Ratajski.
The scoreline was a tad harsh on the Stockport man who averaged 101.66 compared to the Polish Eagle's 102.57 but ultimately the difference was the finishing as he spurned 12 of his 17 attempts as Ratajski clinically pinned 10 of his 15.
Joe Cullen was highly-fancied to go far this weekend having performed so well at last week's Super Series, where he won the opening event before losing to Raymond van Barneveld in another final, but he too got thrown in at the deep end against world number eight Michael Smith.
The Rockstar was a very marginal favourite based on recent form and surged into an early 3-0 lead but Bully Boy roared back in a thrilling tie featuring six 180s apiece and five 100+ checkouts to remind fans just what he's capable of following a hugely disappointing World Championship and season-opening Masters.
Smith averaged 101.57 compared to Cullen's 99.19 and also hit the Big Fish finish of 170 among his three ton+ outs, but he had to survive a match dart in the deciding leg before pinning double tops for an 11-darter.
It won't get any easier for the St Helens thrower, however, after being handed a fifth-round draw with Grand Slam of Darts champion Jose De Sousa, who defied Mervyn King's 102 average to edge a pulsating clash of his own 10-9 with a 103 checkout.
Defending champion and tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen received an 'easier' draws on paper but ended up in a real battle with former Lakeside champion Scott Mitchell before running out a 10-8 winner with a 99 average.
Mitchell did move into an 8-7 lead with his third 100+ checkout but was unable to get sight of another attempt at a double as MVG survived a real scare and will next play Mensur Suljovic.
World champion Gerwyn Price, who finished runner-up to MVG in an epic final 12 months ago, averaged 94.35 in a fairly comfortable win over Peter Hudson although he's still recovering from an ear infection which forced him to pull out of the last two Super Series events last week.
James Wade came through a last-leg decider to beat Ryan Joyce 10-9 while fellow big names Daryl Gurney and Rob Cross battled past Jason Lowe and Andy Hamilton with 10-8 scorelines.
John Brown is the sole surviving player from the very first round as the 22-year-old takes his dream UK Open debut into the weekend.
Having won his Tour Card at Qualifying School, his ranking of 101 meant he started early doors on Friday, but having knocked out Gavin Carlin, Nathan Rafferty and Chas Barstow, he returned to the oche with enough mental stamina in the tank to see off former Lakeside runner-up Mark McGeeney 10-6.
His day was in stark contrast to his father Steve, who failed to turn up to the oche in time for his opening clash with Scott Waites and was subsequently timed out. He later explained on social media that it was because he was distracted by watching his son play.
Alan Souter, who was tipped up on these pages at 200/1, also produced an eye-catching day by knocking out two-time champion Raymond van Barneveld in his return to the TV stage as well as Mickey Mansell in the afternoon before an impressive 10-5 triumph over World Championship semi-finalist Stephen Bunting.
Other names through include Ricky Evans, Brendan Dolan, Martijn Kleermaker, Simon Whitlock, Devon Petersen, Luke Woodhouse, Peter Jacques, Gabriel Glemens, Ron Meulenkamp, Madars Razma, Scott Waites, Chris Dobey, Danny Noppert and Luke Humpries.
Lisa Ashton didn't make it to the evening session after a 6-2 defeat to Darius Labanauskas but earlier in the day she became the first woman to post a 100+ average on TV during her victory over Aaron Beeney.
There were two nine-darters earlier in the day during matches involving Sebastian Bialecki. He hit one himself in the third leg of his first round win over Jim McEwan before being on the receiving end of one against Jitse van der Wal before winning the game. He'd end up getting knocked out by Mensur Suljovic, however.
UK Open 2021: Day one results and weekend schedule
Friday March 6
Afternoon Session
TV Coverage: ITV 4
First, Second & Third Rounds (Best of 11 legs)
- The first round of the multi-board event features Tour Card Holders 98-128 along with the 32 additional qualifiers. Round two will contain the winners from round one along with Tour Card Holders 65-97. Round three features the winners from round two along with Tour Card Holders 33-64.
First Round
- Martin Schindler 6-5 Berry van Peer
- Danny Baggish 6-3 Brett Claydon
- Kirk Shepherd 6-3 Gordon Mathers
- Boris Koltsov 6-1 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
- Jim Williams 6-5 Zoran Lerchbacher
- Geert Nentjes 6-5 Richie Burnett
- Rhys Griffin 6-5 Sean Fisher
- Nathan Rafferty 6-3 Matt Jackson
- Kevin McDine 6-5 Keelan Kay
- Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-4 Brian Raman
- Niels Zonneveld 6-2 Geert De Vos
- Maikel Verberk 6-4 Martin Lukeman
- Scott Taylor 6-4 John Michael
- Jack Main 6-2 Shane McGuirk
- Jason Heaver 6-2 Lorenzo Pronk
- Lewis Williams 6-3 Luc Peters
- Sebastian Bialecki 6-2 Jim McEwan
- Chas Barstow 6-4 Lukas Wenig
- Joe Murnan 6-2 Matthew Dennant
- Kevin Doets 6-3 Joe Davis
- Gino Vos 6-4 Adam Gawlas
- Damian Mol 6-4 Ritchie Edhouse
- Dom Taylor 6-5 Jake Jones
- Peter Hudson 6-1 Ryan De Vreede
- John Brown 6-3 Gavin Carlin
- Byes: Robert Collins, David Evans, Andrew Gilding, Michael Rasztovits, Martin Thomas, Scott Mitchell, Jitse van der Wal.
Second Round
- Lisa Ashton 6-2 Aaron Beeney
- Maik Kuivenhoven 6-4 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
- Alan Soutar 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
- Keane Barry v Geert Nentjes
- Martin Atkins 6-3 Bradley Brooks
- Martijn Kleermaker 6-3 Wayne Jones
- Scott Mitchell 6-5 Lewis Williams
- Ciaran Teehan 6-5 Danny Baggish
- Nick Kenny 6-5 Ryan Meikle
- Martin Schindler 6-1 Jeff Smith
- Andy Hamilton 6-5 Damian Mol
- Jim Williams 6-1 Kirk Shepherd
- Peter Jacques 6-2 Michael Rasztovits
- Peter Hudson 6-1 Jesus Noguera
- Scott Waites Bye (Steve Brown timed out)
- Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-3 Kevin McDine
- David Evans 6-4 Steffen Siepmann
- Derk Telnekes 6-2 Niels Zonneveld
- Gino Vos 6-5 Alan Tabern
- Kai Fan Leung 6-3 Joe Murnan
- Andrew Gilding 6-1 Jon Worsley
- Jack Main 6-4 Robert Collins
- Rhys Griffin 6-4 Mike De Decker
- Scott Taylor 6-5 Maikel Verberk
- Karel Sedlacek 6-0 Harald Leitinger
- Gary Blades 6-0 Dom Taylor
- John Brown 6-5 Nathan Rafferty
- Chas Barstow 6-1 Martin Thomas
- Krzysztof Kciuk 6-2 Ryan Murray
- Kevin Doets 6-4 William Borland
- Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 Jitse van der Wal
- Eddie Lovely 6-5 Jason Heaver
Third Round
- Max Hopp 6-3 William O'Connor
- David Evans 6-1 Damon Heta
- Alan Soutar 6-3 Mickey Mansell
- Mark McGeeney 6-5 Steve Beaton
- Callan Rydz 6-5 Ross Smith
- Darius Labanauskas 6-2 Lisa Ashton
- Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Krzysztof Kciuk
- Keegan Brown 6-1 James Wilson
- Scott Waites 6-4 Martin Atkins
- Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Keane Barry
- Adam Hunt 6-0 Scott Taylor
- Ron Meulenkamp 6-2 Eddie Lovely
- Kai Fan Leung 6-5 Nick Kenny
- Madars Razma 6-2 Jim Williams
- Jason Lowe 6-1 Steve West
- Andy Boulton 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
- Steve Lennon 6-4 Kevin Doets
- Karel Sedlacek 6-0 Rhys Griffin
- Peter Jacques 6-1 Ciaran Teehan
- John Henderson 6-5 Matt Edgar
- Andy Hamilton 6-1 Gary Blades
- Martijn Kleermaker 6-5 Martin Schindler
- John Brown 6-3 Chas Barstow
- Brendan Dolan 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
- Peter Hudson 6-1 Gino Vos
- Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-5 Josh Payne
- Darren Webster 6-4 Ted Evetts
- Ryan Searle 6-5 Jack Main
- Scott Mitchell 6-3 Andrew Gilding
- Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 Derk Telnekes
- Byes: Ryan Joyce, Luke Humphries
* Six players received byes due to the following PDC Tour Card Holders not be competing: Wesley Harms, Robert Marijanovic, Daniel Larsson, Michael Unterbuncher, Darren Penhall and Boris Kcrmar.
Evening Session
TV Coverage: ITV 4
Fourth Round (Best of 19 legs)
Players ranked in the world's top 32 join the competition at this point, along with the 32 who have come through the previous three rounds.
Main Stage (Televised)
- Gary Anderson 9-10 Dirk van Duijvnenbode
- Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Scott Mitchell
- Gerwyn Price 10-5 Peter Hudson
- Peter Wright 5-10 Dave Chisnall
Stage Two
- Mervyn King 9-10 Jose de Sousa
- Andy Hamilton 8-10 Rob Cross
- Nathan Aspinall 5-10 Krzysztof Ratajski
- Joe Cullen 9-10 Michael Smith
Stage Three
- Daryl Gurney 10-8 Jason Lowe
- Ryan Searle 10-7 Adrian Lewis
- Max Hopp 10-6 Vincent van der Voort
- John Brown 10-6 Mark McGeeney
Stage Four
- Callan Rydz 10-6 Jermaine Wattimena
- Jonny Clayton 10-7 Rowby-John Rodriguez
- Darius Labanauskas 10-5 Darren Webster
- Ryan Joyce 9-10 James Wade
Stage Five
- Ian White 10-7 Ricky Evans
- Alan Soutar 10-5 Stephen Bunting
- Kai Fan Leung 7-10 Brendan Dolan
- Martijn Kleermaker 10-8 Jamie Hughes
Stage Six
- Karel Sedlacek 7-10 Simon Whitlock
- Devon Petersen 10-5 Jeffrey de Zwaan
- Luke Woodhouse 10-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh
- Andy Boulton 9-10 Peter Jacques
Stage Seven
- Mensur Suljovic 10-6 Sebastian Bialecki
- Gabriel Clemens 10-4 Adam Hunt
- Steve Lennon 7-10 Ron Meulenkamp
- David Evans 6-10 Madars Razma
Stage Eight
- Scott Waites 10-6 Keegan Brown
- John Henderson 6-10 Chris Dobey
- Glen Durrant 6-10 Danny Noppert
- Kim Huybrechts 8-10 Luke Humphries
Saturday March 6
Afternoon Session (1230 start)
TV Coverage: ITV 4
Fifth Round (Best of 19 legs)
Main Stage (Televised)
- Rob Cross v James Wade
- Gerwyn Price v Ricky Evans
- Michael Smith v Jose de Sousa
- Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic
Stage Two - Darius Labanauskas v Simon Whitlock
- Daryl Gurney v Gabriel Clemens
- Chris Dobey v John Brown
- Jonny Clayton v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Stage Three - Luke Humphries v Ryan Searle
- Callan Rydz v Martin Kleermaker
- Alan Souter v Ron Meulenkamp
- Luke Woodhouse v Brendan Dolan
Stage Four - Peter Jacques v Max Hopp
- Scott Waites v Devon Petersen
- Krzysztof Ratajski v Madars Razma
- Dave Chisnall v Danny Noppert
Evening Session (1900 start)
TV Coverage: ITV 4
Sixth Round (Best of 19 legs)
Main Stage (Televised)
- Four Matches
Stage Two
- Four Matches
Sunday March 7
Afternoon Session (1245 start)
TV Coverage: ITV 4
Quarter-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
All Main Stage
- Four matches
Evening Session (1900 start)
TV Coverage: ITV 4
Semi-Finals (Best of 21 legs)
- Two matches
Final (Best of 21 legs)
- Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2