Van Duijvenbode calls UK Open his favourite tournament: "You turn on the TV to see who you are up against"

Dirk van Duijvenbode is preparing for his tenth appearance at the UK Open. The unique tournament at Butlin's Resort in Minehead is one of the two major tournaments where 'Aubergenius' has never reached the quarterfinals.

Speaking to AD.nl, Van Duijvenbode himself calls the UK Open his favourite tournament of the year. ''It is in a nice location with your flat less than a hundred metres (from the venue, ed.). And of course the open draw. You turn on the television in your room to see who you are up against. That can be both advantageous and disadvantageous, of course. Sometimes you meet someone who is not even in the top 64 two or three times and sometimes you are less lucky. Two years ago I had to play Gary Anderson. Then I won and then drew Jonny Clayton. Then I did think: 'Yaaaa, boy'. But that also makes it fun. You have to assume you hit a good one.''

There is a disadvantage to using the open draw, according to Van Duijvenbode. "The playing schedules are not put together until after the draw, so players do not know when and where they have to play until late. ''Last year I went wrong with that. I did not expect Danny (Noppert, ed.) and I would play on the mainstage (main stage, ed.) and thought I had longer time. Then I wasn't quite sharp'', he reflected on his hefty 10-2 defeat against Noppert, who would surprisingly take the title in the end.

In any case, the 30-year-old Dutchman's self-confidence is in good shape. ''I am further ahead now than I was at this point last year and I have already won a tournament, so that is good for confidence.''