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Paul Nicholson looks ahead to this year's UK Open

UK Open darts 2025: Paul Nicholson picks out big names and outsiders to watch in the 'FA Cup of Darts'

By Paul Nicholson

Darts

Thu February 27, 2025 · 1M ago

The UK Open takes place this weekend and Paul Nicholson looks at the unique ingredients a player needs to lift the 'FA Cup of Darts', as well as picking out some names to follow.

What makes a UK Open winner?

The UK Open is obviously very unique compared to the other majors - predominantly due to the random draw for every round of the tournament. Luke Humphries could feasibly play Luke Littler in his first match, or a dangerous outsider who is fresh having come through the early rounds.

You've got to be prepared to face anyone, and take nothing for granted.

Also, you have to be adaptable.

Unlike the Players Championship Finals, which is also held at this venue, there are three different areas where matches are played; the main stage, Red's Bar and then another room for the outer boards.

These are three very different atmospheres and playing environments.

The very top stars of the game such as Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen will almost certainly be on the televised main stage for all of their games across the weekend but everyone else will have to be prepared and ready to play across all the rooms.

Therefore both your stage game and floor game has to be on point - otherwise you'll be on your way home.

Like any sport, darts has some big egos who won't relish being on the outer boards - a bit like top tennis players always wanting to play their matches on Centre Court or Court One during Wimbledon.

Danny Noppert and Andrew Gilding are the type of players who don't care what conditions or venue they're asked to play in. They just turn up to their matches with the minimum of fuss and get on with it. That kind of attitude will certainly have helped them both negotiate the rounds and lift this famous trophy over the past few seasons.

You've got to be flexible in order to win either tournament at Minehead, because you're going to have to go to different areas - and it's not an easy place to play.

You won't get whistling at Minehead

There's been too many occasions recently where whistling darts 'fans' have given crowds at Premier League nights a bad name.

Gerwyn Price dealt with an incident against Luke Humphries brilliantly by mimicking the heckler and ended up winning the match, while referees have done their best to try and keep order.

Gerwyn Price whistles back at the Premier League crowd in Glasgow after they were previously warned by PDC referee Kirk Bevins 😤🏟️ pic.twitter.com/cWRbG5lzjZ
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) February 14, 2025

Thankfully none of that nonsense will be happening at the UK Open this weekend due to the 'proper' darts fans you get in Minehead and they treat every player with respect.

Some people say the best crowd is at the Winter Gardens for the World Matchplay but I believe it's here. You get a lot of people who make this weekend one of their main holidays of the year and attend all three days.

These are darts people who love the sport more than any other crowd. Nobody comes here to be an idiot for the day - that only happens at Ally Pally or at Premier League venues.

Paul's UK Open title picks

LUKE HUMPHRIES

Obviously we all know about Luke Humphries' major-winning abilities but he's also got an excellent record at Minehead having lifted the

Players Championship Finals trophy twice in 2023 and 2024 while he's reached a pair of UK Open finals in 2021 and 2024.

He's got unfinished business with this tournament, especially after being stunned against the odds by Dimitri van den Bergh 12 months ago.

He has added motivation too. Should he win the tournament then he'll become the first player ever to pass £2million in prize money on the Order of Merit.

Luke has got an incredible amount of motivation for someone who's got so many titles and that's a really dangerous thing.

GERWYN PRICE

Gerwyn Price has never won either of the two majors held at Minehead but he's reached the latter stages plenty of times - including three finals - from 2017 to 2022 and he's clearly returning to the kind of form that helped him win so many other tournaments.

He's had a great start to the season on the Pro Tour and the Premier League while his stats are impressive, his confidence is high and he's also looking fresh.

Price has gained a lot of belief from a run of victories over Luke Littler and if he can beat him so regularly, then he won't be afraid of anyone.

If you ask anyone else involved in the darts media, I'm sure they'll all include Price among their top five most likely UK Open champions - and with good reason.

He's got spirit. He's got adrenaline. He's got all the tools to come through this tournament.

One other important factor is that the crowd in Minehead has traditionally been kinder to Price in recent times due to its proximity to Wales and the fact most of those attending are 'proper' darts fans who don't get dragged into the pantomime style atmospheres of Ally Pally and the Premier League. On St David's Day weekend, there could well be plenty of Welsh fans making the short trip and make his experience even more inspiring.

RYAN SEARLE

Ryan Searle loves February doesn't he?! He's won most of his Players Championship titles in February and added another one to his haul this year, so he'll love the fact that the UK Open begins in this month for a change!

But seriously, when it comes to the early part of the year, Ryan always seems ready to kick on and makes faster starts than many of his rivals on the Pro Tour, and so far in 2025 his numbers have been extremely bright.

I know that there's maybe additional pressure on him because he's more local to Minehead than anybody else - but the home support did help him reach the climax of the Players Championship Finals a few seasons ago.

It's also taken some ridiculous performances to take him out at this venue such as the time he lost to Dirk van Duijvenbode in arguably the greatest board two streamed match of all time. Ryan only missed a handful of darts at double and Dirk averaged around 112 before edging a deciding leg!

Ryan will be feeling good about his game coming into this and if he gets a couple of favorable draws then I can see him making the quarter-finals and being a real threat on Sunday.

CHRIS DOBEY

Chris Dobey has started the season very well having won a Players Championship event plus he's also made a solid start to the Premier League campaign with some very decent numbers.

He's gradually been climbing the rankings over the past couple of seasons without constantly doing new things and is now up to world number eight.

That's a fantastic achievement but he's still one of the higher ranked players who will probably be put on the outer boards if he avoids the bigger names in the early rounds and I believe that will actually play to his strengths.

He doesn't have one of those egos that will expect to be on the main stage and will have absolutely no problem going about his business in the floor environment where he's enjoyed so much of his success.

Obviously when main stage duty comes, he's more accomplished than he ever has been before.

Sometimes Minehead can be criticised for being on the chilly side but that won't bother Dobey, who won in very cold conditions in Rosmalen recently. Like Noppert and Gilding, he's the kind of player who never complains and just gets on with his job of playing darts.

Gian van Veen

I've watched a lot of him over the last six months, and his ability to beat people when they throw the kitchen sink at him is extraordinary.

Even though he hasn't won a PDC title yet, his numbers continue to be so encouraging and we all saw how impressively he played during the Grand Slam of Darts in November where his run was eventually ended by Gary Anderson.

He'll have fond memories of Minehead having lifted the World Youth Championship trophy there back in November so he'll walk into that venue with immediate confidence.

There won't be many people pitching him to win this tournament but we've seen plenty of surprise winners in the past such as Noppert, Gilding and even Van den Bergh 12 months ago when he was struggling for form.

He has a very mature head on his shoulders, very switched on and no ego. There's a great deal of work ethic with Gian van Veen as well, which is something he's going to need.

We're waiting for that breakout tournament of his and maybe it's this weekend.

Big outsiders to keep an eye on

Occasionally, we do see some much lesser known names making runs to the latter stages due to a mixture of giant killing and some luck of the draw, so I'm going to pick a handful of players from the early rounds who you might see making a name for themselves over the next couple of days.

JIMMY VAN SCHIE won three weekly titles in the Modus Super Series last year and almost qualified for the World Championship. He's a super player with plenty of potential and if he can get past Adam Paxton in his opening game then his potential opponents are Jules van Dongen or Simon Stevenson - both of whom are very beatable for him.

The winner of that tie is Jose de Sousa and he's certainly not the force he used to be.

You may be aware of DEREK COULSON if you'd watched any of the World Senior Championship, where he stunned Mervyn King en route to the semi-finals, so keep an eye on him as he bids to make a surprise run on debut at the age of 56.

He has a nightmare tie against Darius Labanauskas first up but his confidence will be very high and will relish the challenge of taking on one of the bigger names at this stage of the tournament.

Mario Vandenbogaerde and Richard Veenstra are potential opponents for him so obviously just reaching round four would be a huge achievement.

Finally I can imagine ANDY BOULTON rolling back the years and enjoying a run into Saturday's play. He's just so reliable and should be fancied to see off Dennie Olde Kalter in his opening tie while he'd also have strong chances against Matthew Dennant in round two.
Waiting there is either Stefan Hendrick, Lee Cocks or Thomas Lovely or Oskar Lukasiak and he could beat any of those.

UK Open: Early round draws and schedule

Friday February 28
Afternoon Session (1100-1700 GMT)
TV Channel: ITV4 on-air from 1145 GMT
Main Stage (1200 GMT onwards)
2x First Round, 4x Second Round, 3x Third Round

Mike Gillet v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (R1)
Beau Greaves v Stefan Bellmont (R1)
William Borland v Brett Claydon (R2)
Darren Beveridge v James Hurrell (R2)
Thibault Tricole v Roelofs/Sykes (R2)
Jelle Klaasen v Lipscombe/Dewsbury (R2)
Scott Williams v Wessel Nijman (R3)
Ricky Evans v Gabriel Clemens (R3)
Henderson/Usher/Gillet/Rodriguez v Raymond van Barneveld (R3)

Stage Two
4x First Round, 3x Second Round, 3x Third Round

Cor Dekker v Niko Springer (R1)
Wesley Plaisier v Cam Crabtree (R1)
Sebastian Bialecki v Viktor Tingstrom (R1)
Shaun Fox v Max Hopp (R1)
Radek Szaganski v Benjamin Reus (R2)
Manby/Kirk v Haupai Puha (R2)
Chris Landman v Kist/Perry (R2)
Jermaine Wattimena v Florian Hempel (R3)
Madars Razma v Ryan Meikle (R3)
Wenig/Rowley/Sedlacek v Kim Huybrechts (R3)
Plus one game TBC

Stage Three
5x First Round, 4x Second Round, 4x Third Round

Darryl Pilgrim v Chris Hartrey (R1)
Paul Rowley v Karel Sedlacek (R1)
Adam Lipscombe v Marc Dewsbury (R1)
Greg Ritchie v Jamie Kelling (R1)
Danny van Trijp v Henry Coates (R1)
George Killington v Owen Bates (R2)
Weber/Merkx v Wickenden/Girvan (R2)
Coulson/Labanauskas v Mario Vandenbogaerde (R2)
Joshua Richardson v Van Velzen/Bissell (R2)
Callan Rydz v Alan Soutar (R3)
Tricole/Roelofs/Sykes v William O'Connor (R3)
Jose de Sousa v Van Schie/Paxton/Stevenson/Van Dongen (R3)
Ian White v Klaasen/Lipscombe/Dewsbury (R3)

Stage Four
5x First Round, 4x Second Round, 4x Third Round

Simon Stevenson v Jules van Dongen (R1)
Dennie Olde Kalter v Andy Boulton (R1)
Christopher Wickenden v Nathan Girvan (R1)
Oskar Lukasiak v Thomas Lovely (R1)
Marvin van Velzen v Tom Bissell (R1)
Steve Lennon v Dom Taylor (R2)
Martijn Dragt v Dudeney/Hall (R2)
Fox/Hopp v Justin Hood (R2)
Berry van Peer v Van Trijp/Coates (R2)
Rob Owen v Niels Zonneveld (R3)
Keane Barry v Van der Velde/Kanik/Brooks (R3)
Kevin Doets v Warner/Morris/Ritchie/Kelling (R3)
Manby/Kirk/Puha v Landman/Kist/Perry (R3)

Stage Five
4x First Round, 4x Second Round, 5x Third Round

Tommy Lishman v Kai Gotthardt (R1)
Christian Kist v Daniel Perry (R1)
Maximilian Czerwinski v Maik Kuivenhoven (R1)
Jimmy van Schie v Adam Paxton (R1)
Lukas Wenig v Rowley/Sedlacek (R2)
Baker/Harrysson v Jansen/Gruellich (R2)
Henderson/Usher v Gillet/Rodriguez (R2)
Andy Baetens v Plaisier/Crabtree (R2)
Jim Williams v Martin Lukeman (R3)
Lennon/Taylor v Cameron Menzies (R3)
Dennant/Olde Kalter/Boulton v Lukasiak/Lovely/Cocks/Henderyck (R3)
Griffin/Greaves/Bellmont v Mickey Mansell (R3)
Fox/Hopp/Hood v Beveridge/Hurrell (R3)

Stage Six
4x First Round, 4x Second Round, 4x Third Round

Tavis Dudeney v Graham Hall (R1)
John Henderson v Graham Usher (R1)
Danny Jansen v Dominik Gruellich (R1)
Derek Coulson v Darius Labanauskas (R1)
Lishman/Gotthardt v Michele Turetta (R2)
Adam Hunt v Czerwinski/Kuivenhoven (R2)
Van der Velde/Kanik v Bradley Brooks (R2)Ljubic/Long v Nathan Rafferty (R2)
Van der Wal/Pilgrim/Hartrey v Danny Lauby (R3)
Grundy/Bialecki/Tingstrom v Luke Woodhouse (R3)
Weber/Merkx/Wickenden/Girvan v Matt Campbell (R3)
Szaganski/Reus v Baetens/Plaisier/Crabtree (R3)

Stage Seven
4x First Round, 4x Second Round, 4x Third Round

Leon Weber v Alexander Merkx (R1)
Adam Warner v Tommy Morris (R1)
Jurjen van der Velde v Tytus Kanik (R1)
Lee Cocks v Stefaan Henderyck (R1)
Dekker/Springer v Patrick Geeraets (R2)
Matthew Dennant v Olde Kalter/Boulton (R2)
Lukasiak/Lovely v Cocks/Henderyck (R2)
Rhys Griffin v Greaves/Bellmont (R2)
Nick Kenny v Baker/Harrysson/Jansen/Gruellich (R3)
Dragt/Dudeney/Hall v Borland/Claydon (R3)
Mensur Suljovic v Ljubic/Long/Rafferty (R3)
Van Peer/Van Trijp/Coates v Connor Scutt (R3)

Stage Eight
4x First Round, 4x Second Round, 4x Third Round

Scott Baker v Andreas Harrysson (R1)
Owen Roelofs v Tom Sykes (R1)
Charlie Manby v Aden Kirk (R1)
Pero Ljubic v Jim Long (R1)
Jitse van der Wal v Pilgrim/Hartrey (R2)
Robert Grundy v Bialecki/Tingstrom (R2)
Van Schie/Paxton v Stevenson/Van Dongen (R2)
Warner/Morris v Ritchie/Kelling (R2)
Dekker/Springer/Geeraets v Dylan Slevin (R3)
Lishman/Gotthardt/Turetta v Stephen Burton (R3)
Richard Veenstra v Coulson/Labanauskas/Vandenbogaerde (R3)
Richardson/Van Velzen/Bissell v Killington/Bates (R3)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Fourth Round
TV Channel: ITV4

8x Stages, 4 Matches per board

Players 1-32 - Enter in Fourth Round

1. Luke Humphries
2. Luke Littler
3. Michael van Gerwen
4. Rob Cross
5. Stephen Bunting
6. Jonny Clayton
7. Dave Chisnall
8. Chris Dobey
9. Gerwyn Price
10. Damon Heta
11. Nathan Aspinall
12. Peter Wright
13. Danny Noppert
14. James Wade
15. Gary Anderson
16. Dimitri Van den Bergh
17. Josh Rock
18. Ryan Searle
19. Ross Smith
20. Michael Smith
21. Andrew Gilding
22. Martin Schindler
23. Joe Cullen
24. Mike De Decker
25. Daryl Gurney
26. Dirk van Duijvenbode
27. Gian van Veen
28. Ritchie Edhouse
29. Ryan Joyce
30. Ricardo Pietreczko
31. Krzysztof Ratajski
32. Brendan Dolan