PREVIEW UK Open 2026 Saturday Afternoon: Humphries–Chisnall clash headlines as Littler, Price and Van Gerwen chase Minehead glory
PDCSaturday, 07 March 2026 at 07:00
The last 32 takes centre stage on Saturday afternoon at the 2026 UK Open in Minehead, as the race for the title begins to intensify. Reigning world champion Luke Littler headlines the remaining field alongside major contenders Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price.
Littler faces dangerous Doets test
One of the most intriguing ties sees Littler take on Dutch talent Kevin Doets.
Littler arrives in Minehead in superb form after claiming the weekly title in the Premier League just 24 hours earlier in Cardiff. He followed that up with a comfortable 10-3 victory over Damon Heta in the fourth round.
Doets, however, should not be underestimated. The Dutchman impressed with a 10-5 win over Jeffrey de Graaf in the last 64, and has shown repeatedly that he can produce strong performances on the big stage.
With Littler’s relentless scoring power up against Doets’ steady all-round game, this clash could prove far tighter than the names might initially suggest.
Humphries meets Chisnall in blockbuster clash
Arguably the standout tie of the round sees Humphries face Dave Chisnall.
Humphries produced one of the performances of the fourth round, averaging over 105 in a dominant 10-3 victory against Luke Woodhouse.
Chisnall, meanwhile, secured a much-needed televised victory by defeating Scott Campbell 10-5.
Both players are capable of heavy scoring bursts and quick legs, which should make this one of the fastest and highest-scoring matches of the afternoon session.
Price vs Nijman promises fireworks
Another eye-catching tie sees Gerwyn Price take on Wessel Nijman.
Price moved comfortably through the previous round with a 10-3 victory over Greg Ritchie and will be aiming to continue building momentum in Minehead.
Nijman arrives full of confidence after a dominant 10-1 win against Raymond van Barneveld while averaging over 102.
The clash pits Price’s relentless scoring and intensity against one of the most explosive young talents currently on the tour.
Van Gerwen handed favourable draw
Three-time UK Open champion Van Gerwen faces German outsider Kai Gotthardt.
Van Gerwen eventually overcame Nathan Aspinall 10-8 in the final match of Friday’s session and averaged just under 102 in the process.
Gotthardt impressed earlier in the event by defeating Tom Sykes 10-8, but the German will need to produce one of the performances of his career to trouble the Dutchman.
Ross Smith vs Daryl Gurney
Ross Smith meets Daryl Gurney in what could be a fascinating contest between two players capable of heavy scoring bursts.
Smith produced a solid display to dispatch Andrew Gilding 10-4 in the previous round and continues to show flashes of the scoring power that took him to the European Championship title.
Gurney, meanwhile, overcame Niels Zonneveld 10-7 and will look to use his experience in longer-format matches to disrupt Smith’s rhythm.
Mensur Suljovic vs Stephen Bunting
Former UK Open finalist Mensur Suljovic rolled back the years in the fourth round, reeling off five consecutive legs to defeat Jermaine Wattimena 10-5.
Awaiting him is Stephen Bunting, who comfortably dispatched Thibault Tricole to continue his strong run of form in 2026.
Bunting’s heavy scoring will likely make him favourite, but Suljovic’s measured pace and clinical finishing could make this a tricky encounter.
Suljovic faces Stephen Bunting for a place in the last 16
Gary Anderson vs Martin Schindler
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson arrives in the last 32 in ominous form after averaging more than 107 in his victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Standing in his way is Martin Schindler, who produced a composed display to eliminate Joe Cullen 10-8.
If Anderson maintains the level he showed in the previous round, he will take some stopping, though Schindler has quietly become one of the most consistent performers on tour.
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Josh Rock vs Dominik Gruellich
After a difficult start to the Premier League campaign, Josh Rock found some momentum again by edging out William O'Connor in a deciding-leg thriller.
His opponent, Dominik Gruellich, impressed with a 10-8 win over Niall Culleton.
Rock’s scoring power makes him the favourite, but the German has already shown he can handle pressure moments in Minehead.
Darryl Pilgrim vs Jonny Clayton
One of the more intriguing ties sees rising English player Darryl Pilgrim face Premier League leader Jonny Clayton.
Pilgrim has already enjoyed an excellent run in the tournament, following up an earlier win over Beau Greaves by defeating Connor Scutt.
Clayton, however, was ruthless in his previous match, sweeping past Alexander Merkx 10-2 and will start as a strong favourite to progress.
Peter Wright vs Danny Noppert
This clash between two major champions could be one of the most entertaining matches of the round.
Peter Wright secured a confidence-boosting victory over Cameron Menzies to reach the last 32.
Standing opposite him will be Noppert, who produced one of the moments of the fourth round with a nine-darter during his win over Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Danny Noppert hit a nine-darter against Dimitri van den Bergh at the 2026 UK Open
Ryan Joyce vs Keane Barry
Ryan Joyce moved into the last 32 after ending the impressive run of young prospect Charlie Manby.
He now faces Keane Barry, who produced one of the most dominant displays of the previous round with a 10-2 victory over Henry Coates.
Martin Lukeman vs Madars Razma
Martin Lukeman booked his place in the last 32 with a convincing 10-6 victory over Ritchie Edhouse.
He now meets Madars Razma, who survived a dramatic deciding-leg contest to defeat Jim Long.
Gabriel Clemens vs James Wade
Experience will be the theme of this encounter between Gabriel Clemens and James Wade.
Clemens edged past Richard Veenstra in a deciding-leg thriller, while Wade once again demonstrated his trademark composure by defeating Chris Dobey despite Dobey averaging more than 102.
Given Wade’s reputation in longer-format matches, the Englishman may hold a slight edge.
James Wade has won the UK Open in three different decades
Ryan Searle vs Michael Smith
Two of the heaviest scorers on the tour collide as Ryan Searle meets former world champion Michael Smith.
Searle progressed after defeating Andy Boulton 10-7, while Smith came through a close contest with Leon Weber.
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Oskar Lukasiak vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Swedish qualifier Oskar Lukasiak continued his impressive run by defeating Benjamin Pratnemer.
He now faces experienced Polish star Krzysztof Ratajski, who produced a strong display to defeat Ricky Evans.
Ratajski’s consistency and finishing ability will make him favourite, though Lukasiak has already shown he can compete at this level.
Mike De Decker vs Rob Cross
Another intriguing encounter sees former world champion Cross take on Belgian major winner De Decker.
Cross delivered a high-quality performance to defeat Gian van Veen, with both players averaging above 100 in a strong main stage display.
De Decker also impressed in overcoming Adam Lipscombe 10-8, setting up what could be a very competitive encounter between two proven stage performers.
Draw & schedule UK Open 2026
Main Stage
| Gary Anderson | vs | Martin Schindler |
| Wessel Nijman | vs | Gerwyn Price |
| Kevin Doets | vs | Luke Littler |
| Luke Humphries | vs | Dave Chisnall |
Stage Two
| Darryl Pilgrim | vs | Jonny Clayton |
| Peter Wright | vs | Danny Noppert |
| Mike De Decker | vs | Rob Cross |
| Kai Gotthardt | vs | Michael van Gerwen |
Stage Three
| Ross Smith | vs | Daryl Gurney |
| Mensur Suljovic | vs | Stephen Bunting |
| Josh Rock | vs | Dominik Gruellich |
| Ryan Joyce | vs | Keane Barry |
Stage Four
| Martin Lukeman | vs | Madars Razma |
| Gabriel Clemens | vs | James Wade |
| Oskar Lukasiak | vs | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| Ryan Searle | vs | Michael Smith |
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- Would love if podcast was available on youtube. Dont have spotify.kangacheckoutz03-03-2026
- ah ok, that helps put it in context, cheersMrMarkWatsonnonotthatone28-02-2026
- Any IDeaS.....richieburnettrocks28-02-2026
- I deserve it I am the greatest I am the people's champion I believe I will win the Premier League because I believe I am the best because honestly I am the people's champion and I honestly made the fans come tonight because I am honestly the greatest and I, I, I, I, I, I, I, Oh shut up you pathetic pandering hideously ugly fat waste of space! Fatty Bunting should be more sincere and humbly accept he needed that instead of I this and I that.richieburnettrocks28-02-2026
- Wright's wife DEMANDS he continues so IT can rook every last penny from him. Commentary beckons.richieburnettrocks28-02-2026
- i can't answer this definitively, but i can make some suggestions. firstly, these are essentially just glorified qualifiers for TV events which double as helping the lesser players on tour make a living, but they aren't really considered that significant. they weren't even streamed until the past decade or so. most casual fans don't even know they exist and getting an audience in might be difficult. i'm assuming they're currently quite cheap to run and they would need to sell a lot of tickets to justify opening them up into more of a spectacle. they're held on weekdays when most people are at work anyway and there's no room on the calendar to put most of them on weekends. the logistics of presenting it to an audience would also be tricky given that they have to get through 7 rounds containing 128 players in a single day, using loads of stages simultaneously. maybe the uk open could be used as a template but it'd need to be even more condensed into a short time period, and even with the uk open it's hard to follow most of the games. the venues they're currently held at wouldn't cater for turning this into a public event as they're pretty small, so they'd need to hire much bigger venues 30 times in places around the country. it just probably isn't feasible. i also suspect the players don't really want to play in front of drunk audiences in every single domestic tournament, they already have the euro tour, world series and majors for that. the players championship is basically a way for players to demonstrate they're ready to make the step up to those levels of competition.colt26-02-2026
- Hi, can someone explain why the Players Championship takes place behind closed doors? I've been watching the big championships on and off for decades, but only just started taking a keener interest in the game, and this strange looking competition is a bit of a head scratcher to me at the moment.MrMarkWatsonnonotthatone25-02-2026
- Not Noppy. Get Beau in.medinabello25-02-2026
- If I was noppert,I'd say,sod you lot. You don't think I'm good enough,but suddenly,I can be a replacement? What a load of rubbish. Either you're in,or not. I keep saying,it's a pointless league,just to get people on seats,and beer down their necks. Scrap the whole thingrick6724-02-2026
- Exactly! Did the Glasgow punters get a partial refund for missing out on a potentially explosive match up? I don't know but I doubt it. Given the existing set up, how about this? Four reserves, one European based player to cover the four overseas rounds (including Dublin) and three UK based players to cover four UK rounds each (including Belfast). If the number of continental rounds changed to four for instance then Dublin could be transferred to the UK players allocation for convenience. All reserves should have their travel and accommodation costs covered and to make it worth their while, if they are not used, the reserve could play a match with a LOCAL non tour card holding player between the semi finals and final. This local player would be chosen by a prior qualifying tournament. The prize for this game could be £/euros 1000 or 2000 as the reserve could be spending his time and effort doing an exhibition instead not that I know what the commercial rate for an exhibition is! If the reserve is used in the main competition then the winner and the runner up of the qualifier can play. This could generate additional local interest and publicity. Obviously this doesn't cover every "what if" scenario i.e. What if two main players pull out? Maybe a second of the four reserves could be chosen at random? What do you think?OldShakey23-02-2026
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