Preview Saudi Arabia Darts Masters opening night: Van Gerwen aims to go back-to-back with Littler, Humphries, Price also in action
PDC
The Saudi Arabia Darts Masters gets underway today in Riyadh. Following the Bahrain Darts Masters, this is already the second World Series of Darts 2026 event. Michael van Gerwen prevailed in Bahrain last week, but can he make it two from two in the coming days?
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The inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters features the same eight PDC stars as last week in Bahrain. That includes Van Gerwen, who beat Gian van Veen 8-6 in the Bahrain Darts Masters final. Van Gerwen faces India’s Nitin Kumar in his opener. Van Veen, meanwhile, takes on Motomu Sakai.
There is also interest in how Luke Littler will respond after seeing his streak of 21 consecutive TV wins end in Bahrain. In a repeat of his opening match in Bahrain, “The Nuke” meets living legend Paul Lim. Nathan Aspinall also again hilariously faces Lourence Ilagan.
Below you can find a preview of all first-round matches at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters.
Danny Noppert v Man Lok Leung
The evening in Riyadh opens with Danny Noppert. The 35-year-old Dutchman seemed a lock for the Premier League Darts but, to his own disappointment, was not selected by the PDC. As a consolation, Noppert was invited to the first two World Series events of the year. Last week he won his opener against Basem Mahmood, then lost 6-1 in the quarterfinals to Gian van Veen.
Noppert will want to improve this week and must first get past Man Lok Leung. The Hong Kong thrower caused an upset at the World Darts Championship two years ago by beating Gian van Veen. He lost to the same Van Veen in the opening round of the Bahrain Darts Masters last week, but Leung again showed he has talent. Noppert will need to be alert to avoid a slip.
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Stephen Bunting v Tomoya Goto
Stephen Bunting features in the second match of the night. Unlike Noppert, the 40-year-old Englishman was selected for the Premier League Darts, a decision that drew plenty of criticism. Bunting wanted to silence the doubters, but failed to defend his Bahrain Darts Masters title last week. He lost 6-4 in the quarterfinals to eventual winner Van Gerwen.
At the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters, Bunting faces Japan’s Tomoya Goto in the first round, who has made two prior appearances at the World Darts Championship. He failed to make much impact there, so Bunting should be able to control this tie fairly comfortably.
Nathan Aspinall v Lourence Ilagan
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For the third time in short order, Nathan Aspinall meets Lourence Ilagan. The pair faced off in the opening round of the recent World Darts Championship and again last week in the first round of the Bahrain Darts Masters. Aspinall won both times. Can he make it three out of three at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters?
It won’t be easy, as Aspinall has previously said he finds Ilagan an irritating opponent on stage. The Filipino often takes his time, which “The Asp” doesn’t appreciate. Away from the oche, though, the two get on well.
Michael van Gerwen v Nitin Kumar
Michael van Gerwen is next. “Mighty Mike” endured a difficult 2025, affected by private issues, but started the new year superbly by winning the Bahrain Darts Masters. It was a welcome title for the 36-year-old Dutchman, and he will be eager to build on it at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters.
Van Gerwen opens against Nitin Kumar. The Indian produced a minor upset at the recent World Championship by beating Richard Veenstra in round one. Even so, Van Gerwen begins as the overwhelming favorite.
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Luke Littler v Paul Lim
Luke Littler versus Paul Lim is a rerun of their clash last week in the opening round of the Bahrain Darts Masters. The 18-year-old Littler won 6-1 against Lim, who is no fewer than 53 years older. They meet again now, and once more the youngest player in the field is a heavy favorite against the oldest.
Littler, however, spoke with great respect for Lim last week and will not underestimate him. At 71, the Singaporean is still playing at a high level. He proves it almost weekly on the Asian Tour. Littler, meanwhile, has an extra mission: to start another winning streak after his run ended abruptly in Bahrain last week.
Gerwyn Price v Alexis Toylo
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Next up are Gerwyn Price and Alexis Toylo. Price ended Littler’s winning streak last week, beating the reigning world champion 6-2 in the quarterfinals. One round later, however, “The Iceman” fell to Van Gerwen. Not entirely a surprise, as Price had indicated beforehand that he had barely practiced after his early exit at the recent World Darts Championship, where he surprisingly lost in the second round to Wesley Plaisier.
At the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters, the 40-year-old Welshman faces Alexis Toylo in the opening round. The Filipino is known for his exceptionally slow throwing style, which gets under many opponents’ skin. We’ll see whether the quick-throwing Price struggles with that.
Luke Humphries v Ryusei Azemoto
In the penultimate match of the night, world number two Luke Humphries makes his first appearance. “Cool Hand Luke” endured a disappointing World Championship, losing to Van Veen in the quarterfinals, and last week he also went out in the quarters (this time to Aspinall). Humphries is desperate for another tournament win to boost his morale.
First, though, he has to get past Ryusei Azemoto. The Japanese player also featured at the recent World Darts Championship, where he lost in the opening round to James Wade. He made little impression last week against Stephen Bunting as well, so this should be a straightforward win for Humphries.
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Gian van Veen v Motomu Sakai
The evening in Riyadh concludes with the clash between Gian van Veen and Motomu Sakai. Van Veen fully broke through last year by winning the European Championship and also reached the World Darts Championship final at the start of this year. Littler proved a class above on that occasion, but Van Veen has since climbed into the world’s top three and is now among the elite.
Last week, the 23-year-old Dutchman showcased his blistering form at the Bahrain Darts Masters, where only Van Gerwen stopped him in the final. This week, Van Veen faces Sakai in the opening round. The Japanese player produced a minor upset at the recent World Darts Championship by beating Thibault Tricole in the first round. Last week, he also pushed Price hard in the opening round of the Bahrain Darts Masters, where he lost 6-4 despite a higher average.
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- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
