Preview Saturday evening UK Open: Heavyweight clashes await including Van Gerwen-Wade and Littler-Anderson

The UK Open began on Friday afternoon with 157 entrants, but after five rounds only sixteen remain. They will battle on Saturday evening for a spot on the FA Cup of Darts final day.

Notably, many big names are still in the tournament. No fewer than eleven players from the top 12 of the PDC Order of Merit have survived the early cull. With an open draw at the UK Open, mouthwatering ties in the last 16 were inevitable. And that is exactly how it panned out.

The last 16 features three clashes between players who have previously reached a UK Open final. The format at this stage remains unchanged. Ten legs are required to progress to the next round.

A Premier League blockbuster in the UK Open last 16 was bound to happen with the remaining field. Stephen Bunting has not been troubled so far in this tournament. He opened in the fourth round with a 10-5 win over Thibault Tricole, and backed it up with a 10-2 victory against Mensur Suljovic. Josh Rock had a real scare on Friday night against William O'Connor, only edging through 10-9 in a last-leg decider. He then proved too strong for Dominik Gruellich with a 10-7 success.

Martin Lukeman could do with a boost. After his sensational run to the Grand Slam of Darts final in 2024, ‘Smash’ had few highlights. He was anonymous in 2025 and his 2026 start was hardly electric either. A place in the UK Open last 16 is encouraging at least, and against Jonny Clayton, ‘Smash’ has the chance—after wins over Thomas Lovely (6-4), Ritchie Edhouse (10-6) and Madars Razma (10-3)—to turn it into a quarterfinal. Clayton, however, is red hot. ‘The Ferret’ leads the Premier League Darts and cruised past Alexander Merkx (10-2) and Darryl Pilgrim (10-7) earlier in this tournament.

This promises to be a treat. Two quick throwers who typically pile in the 180s. And if Gary Anderson brings his earlier-tournament form, Luke Littler will have a fight on his hands. The Scot beat Dirk van Duijvenbode (10-6) and Martin Schindler (10-7), averaging 107.42 and 105.80 respectively. Littler has yet to fully ignite in Minehead. He opened with a 10-3 win over Damon Heta but averaged only 94.81. Against Kevin Doets he escaped defeat, moving on 10-8—arguably against the run of play.

In 2025 Daryl Gurney was increasingly visible in the business end of events, and the Northern Irishman appears to have carried that into 2026. He first beat Niels Zonneveld 10-7, then edged Ross Smith 10-8 to reach the last 16. Rob Cross ended the run of Gian van Veen on Friday night, the only player from the world’s top 12 who failed to reach the last 16. On Saturday afternoon Cross’s campaign hung by a thread, but ‘Voltage’ overturned a 7-9 deficit against Mike De Decker to win 10-9.

Two of the most successful UK Open players ever will duel for a quarterfinal berth. Both have lifted the FA Cup of Darts three times, a feat only bettered by Phil Taylor (5x). Michael van Gerwen was made to work in his opener after drawing Nathan Aspinall in round four. With a 101.89 average, ‘The Asp’ was seen off 10-8. Van Gerwen then produced a patchy display against Kai Gotthardt, but the German fell 10-6. James Wade survived a last-leg decider against Chris Dobey in his first match and then comfortably beat Gabriel Clemens 10-2.

Not a bad draw, Gerwyn Price will think. After a 10-3 win over Greg Ritchie, Price cleared his first real test 10-5 against Wessel Nijman. Next up is Keane Barry, the lowest-ranked player left in the event. The UK Open is where Barry stunned many by reaching the last four in 2022. By making the last 16 he has already strengthened his bid to keep his Tour Card later this year. En route to this round he defeated Kim Huybrechts (6-5), Henry Coates (10-2) and Ryan Joyce (10-7).

Another heavyweight clash in this UK Open last 16, featuring two players in fine form. Luke Humphries breezed through his first two matches. Luke Woodhouse was brushed aside 10-3, with ‘Cool Hand Luke’ averaging 105.16. He then beat Dave Chisnall 10-4 with a 103.65 average. Noppert dispatched Dimitri Van den Bergh (10-4) and Peter Wright (10-2) by wide margins, and the Dutchman also produced a superb nine-darter against Van den Bergh.

The remaining tie in this round pits Ryan Searle against Krzysztof Ratajski, a draw that offers both a real shot at a major quarterfinal. Minehead local Ryan Searle first beat Andy Boulton 10-7, then scraped past Michael Smith 10-9. Krzysztof Ratajski made short work of Ricky Evans (10-4) before proving too strong for Oskar Lukasiak (10-5) in round five.