UK Open 2026 Roundup | Littler cruises as Humphries departs, whilst Wade stuns Van Gerwen and Price completes birthday miracle as quarter-final lineup set
PDC
The field for finals day at the 2026 UK Open is now complete after a dramatic Saturday evening session in Minehead produced shocks, dominant displays and a remarkable comeback.
ADVERTISEMENT
Luke Littler continued his charge towards the title with a convincing victory over Gary Anderson, while James Wade delivered one of the performances of the round to dismantle Michael van Gerwen.
Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price produced a stunning comeback from 9-4 down to defeat Keane Barry on his birthday, while former champion Danny Noppert knocked out Luke Humphries to reach the quarter-finals.
James Wade dismantles Van Gerwen in statement performance
One of the performances of the night came from James Wade, who swept aside Michael van Gerwen 10-3 in a dominant display on the main stage.
The only player to win the UK Open across three different decades showed exactly why he remains such a dangerous presence in Minehead. Averaging 105.83 and finishing at nearly 60% on the doubles, Wade punished Van Gerwen repeatedly whenever chances appeared.
After a competitive opening phase, Wade quickly seized control of the contest and never looked back.
By the time he surged into a 9-3 lead, the outcome already looked inevitable, and the Englishman sealed the victory shortly afterwards to book his place in finals day.
ADVERTISEMENT
Luke Littler ends Gary Anderson challenge
In the headline clash of the round, Luke Littler proved too strong for Gary Anderson, sealing a 10-5 victory to continue his impressive run in Minehead. Anderson began brightly and broke throw in the opening leg to the delight of the crowd, but that early momentum quickly disappeared as Littler shifted through the gears.
The teenage world champion produced a scoring burst that swung the match firmly in his favour, winning multiple legs in succession as his average climbed past the 100 mark.
Anderson briefly halted the run but never truly threatened a comeback, and Littler eventually wrapped up the win with a composed 78 checkout.
ADVERTISEMENT
Littler is into the quarter-finals
Gerwyn Price completes stunning birthday comeback
Few matches delivered as much drama as the clash between Gerwyn Price and Keane Barry, with the Welshman producing a remarkable comeback to snatch a 10-9 victory.
Barry appeared on course for one of the shocks of the night when he surged into a commanding 9-4 lead, leaving Price staring at elimination.
However, on his birthday, the former world champion refused to surrender. Price gradually clawed his way back into the match, forcing a deciding leg with a brilliant 79 checkout.
ADVERTISEMENT
With the darts in the decider, the Welshman seized his chance, opening the leg with a 180 before calmly returning to finish 40 and complete the turnaround.
Josh Rock overcomes Bunting in Premier League clash
The evening session began with a high-quality contest between Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting, with Rock eventually securing a 10-7 victory.
The match remained evenly balanced through the early stages before Rock began to assert control around the midway point. A run of consecutive legs shifted the momentum decisively in the Northern Irishman’s favour, highlighted by a classy 107 checkout.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although Bunting threatened to close the gap again, missed opportunities allowed Rock to maintain his advantage and see out the win.
Rob Cross proves too strong for Daryl Gurney
Former world champion Rob Cross also progressed to finals day after defeating Daryl Gurney 10-6. The contest remained competitive early on, but Cross gradually gained the upper hand through the middle stages of the match.
Despite moments where Gurney threatened to close the gap, Cross consistently produced the heavier scoring when it mattered most before sealing victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
| Daryl Gurney | VS | Rob Cross |
|---|---|---|
| 85.43 | Average (3 Darts) | 95.48 |
| 20 | 100+ Thrown | 19 |
| 10 | 140+ Thrown | 10 |
| 2 | 180 Thrown | 4 |
| 101 | Highest Checkout | 152 |
| Checkout 100+ | ||
| 33.33 | Checkout percentage | 41.67 |
| 6 / null | Checkout | 10 / null |
Jonny Clayton continues strong run
Jonny Clayton maintained his excellent recent form by defeating Martin Lukeman 10-7.
Clayton made a fast start to establish control of the match, leaving Lukeman chasing from the early stages. Although Lukeman improved as the contest progressed, Clayton’s steady scoring and timely finishing ensured the Welshman remained firmly in command.
ADVERTISEMENT
Danny Noppert knocks out Humphries
The biggest upset of the closing matches came as Danny Noppert defeated Luke Humphries 10-6 to reach the quarter-finals.
Humphries actually had darts to win several early legs but repeatedly missed key opportunities on the doubles. Noppert took full advantage, punishing those misses with clinical finishing to build a commanding lead.
Although Humphries briefly threatened a comeback when Noppert missed four match darts, the Dutchman quickly recovered to close out the victory and secure his place in the last eight.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ratajski capitalises on Searle misses
The final quarter-final place went to Krzysztof Ratajski, who defeated Ryan Searle in a match dominated by missed doubles.
Ratajski produced the heavier scoring throughout the contest, averaging 96.25, while Searle struggled to convert chances on the outer ring. With Searle finishing at just 21% on doubles, the Polish star gradually took control and moved clear after the final interval before sealing the win.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- 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