“I’ve been hunting him down” - Jonny Clayton targets Michael van Gerwen in the rankings as he continues UK Open title charge

Jonny Clayton enjoyed a successful day at the UK Open. The Welshman booked his place in the quarterfinals with two solid wins, but admitted afterwards that it may have looked better on stage than it actually felt.

Clayton secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the UK Open thanks to a 10-7 victory over Martin Lukeman. “They look better than what I felt up there,” Clayton admitted honestly after his win. “It’s a long day, like you say. It’s hard to play first in the afternoon and then wait and wait and wait to see when you’re on and who you’re playing."

According to Clayton, that uncertainty is one of the trickiest aspects of the UK Open’s unique format.

Unlike many other televised tournaments, the UK Open redraws after every round. As a result, players never know exactly when their next match is scheduled. Clayton says that makes for an odd kind of preparation. “The thing is you don’t know what to do. You don’t know whether to eat a good meal or what to do—you’re just waiting.”

For elite athletes used to a tight schedule, that can be quite challenging. “I was guessing that I’d be on either first or second tonight after playing first this afternoon,” Clayton said. “So I thought to myself, I need to get back over and get the practice in quite early."

However, that plan didn’t go as expected. “But God, I wasn’t early,” he laughed. “Never mind—I might leave it a little longer tomorrow just to settle the nerves.” Clayton, nicknamed ‘The Ferret’, started the new season strongly and seems to be rediscovering his best form. Still, he tries not to put too much emphasis on that himself. “I’m enjoying myself. At the end of the day, when you enjoy it, things happen."

In his match he felt comfortable especially at the start. “I think for the first five or six legs I was going good,” he analysed. “Then I kind of stepped off the gas for some reason. I felt good, but the darts just weren’t going in.” He still managed to close it out in the end. “Luckily enough, I got over the line at the end,” he said with a smile.

Clayton stresses that experience does help in dealing with such long tournament days, but it never becomes straightforward. He feels the circumstances are somewhat similar to those on the European Tour. “I think the European Tour helps a lot because on a Sunday that’s what you do. You play in the afternoon and then come back for the evening session."

That experience helps a bit, but it doesn’t make the waiting any easier. "So experience does help, obviously, but you still don’t quite know what to do," he admitted. "It’s a tough one."

Should Clayton win the tournament, he would make a huge jump in the world rankings. In that scenario he would even overtake Michael van Gerwen. For Clayton, that is a special thought. “I’ve been looking for him for a long, long time,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been hunting him down."

He still has great respect for the Dutch three-time world champion. “Michael is obviously a fantastic player,” Clayton said. “So if I win this and get above him, great job." Still, he remains focused primarily on his own game. “I don’t worry too much about things like that—I just want to play well and try to pick trophies up."

The UK Open is known as one of the most unpredictable events on the calendar. Because of the open draw, top players can meet early. Clayton believes that’s what makes the tournament so tough. “You could have the world number one and number two playing each other in the fourth or fifth round. Nobody knows who they’re going to play." That’s why, in his view, concentration is crucial. “You just have to play well. It’s one of those tournaments where concentration is massive."

Clayton is once again competing in the prestigious Premier League Darts this season. He says it helps enormously to stay sharp at the highest level. "In the Premier League helps because you’re playing the eight in-form players every week. There’s no better match practice than playing against those guys week in, week out."

Those constant high-level matches help him sharpen his focus. “That’s a massive help because concentration is everything on that stage. When you come to other tournaments you feel fresh." Still, Clayton admitted he had a brief lapse in concentration during his match. His opponent Martin Lukeman came dangerously close in the closing stages. “I think I lost a bit of concentration," he conceded. "It wasn’t easy darts—I don’t mean that—but I was trying to make it look easy, just letting them go instead of concentrating and putting them in"

Luckily for Clayton, he managed to regain control in time. “knew I was in for a tough game today and when he was coming back I was just praying, 'Just get over the line, Jonny.' Eventually I did."

Clayton also sees the standard in professional darts continuing to rise. In particular, the players just outside the absolute elite pose a huge challenge, he believes. “From about the top 32 to 48 anybody can win a tournament,” he said. The averages on floor events are impressive, in his view. "You watch the floor tournaments—the averages are massive and it’s anybody’s game."

His match against Lukeman was a good example of that, he feels. “I’ve played Martin a few times and we always have a battle. He’s won a few, I’ve won a few.”

Despite his strong form, Clayton remains grounded about his chances in the tournament. “Obviously I’m here to try and win the tournament,” he said. He believes that’s the only way to handle the pressure. “you have to take what’s in front of you." And if everything falls into place? “It’ll be game by game and hopefully in the last game I can lift that trophy.”