UK Open - Runners and Outsiders

The UK Open sits as my favourite tournament of the year (other than the World Champs). Known as "The FA Cup of Darts", the presence of Riley's amateur qualifiers, second tier Challenge Tour and Development Tour players, and all 128 Tour Card holder makes this a fans delight. Chuck in the open draw too, and the tournament really is a fantastic watch. The big boys can face each other early, and in form players can make good progress with favourable draws.

The UK Open has three venues in one. The Big Top, which is the main arena and TV stage - real major darts, then there is Red's Bar, stage 2 - which brings back memories of the Circus Tavern, and finally the rest of the boards reside in the venue's nightclub - with a similar setup to a weekend Pro Tour, multi-board environment. Here, the luck of the draw may come into it for some players. The likes of Chris Dobey and Luke Humphries strike me as big stage players, who will want to play in front of the cameras, and generally put in good performances when doing so. Others may prefer to go about their business quietly on the outer boards, avoid the big names, with the genuine aim of making the Sunday.

If you're not an avid follower of darts away from the cameras, you may not know that we have already seen 6 Players Championship events, and last weekend also saw the first Euro Tour event. The Players Championships events are the real bread and butter "floor" tournaments, held in perfect conditions, whilst the Euro Tour events are "mini-majors" held in front of enthusiastic European crowds. Both are good barometers of form, and I track these regularly to help gauge who is most likely to go on a run when we get to the bigger tournaments like the UK Open.

Below I have outlined the top 10 players through my performance tracker this year, and 4 "wildcard" picks. These are my ones to watch:

Top Ten

1. Gerwyn Price: In some people's eyes, Price is the best player in the world right now. It's hard to argue when he has the most titles to his name since the World Championships, and most recently claimed Euro Tour 1 on Sunday with his now familiar big scoring and finishing. You have to feel he will be one of the men to beat. 87% win ratio in Player's Championships & Euro Tours in 2020.
2. Peter Wright: The World and Masters Champion is hitting real peaks this year, but with one or two oddly bad games too. A former UK Open winner himself, Snakebite knows what is needed to come through this gruelling tournament, and some think he is looking to peak at the "big ones" now. Win percentage in PC & ET matches is 84%.
3. Michael van Gerwen: Many have the beaten World Finalist as the best in the world right now, and even the best of all time, but a few chinks have been seen in the Green Machine's armour of late. To come into March with no titles to his name is unheard of in recent years. The move to his new equipment supplier, Winmau, brought with it noise of a period of transition, and despite wonderful highs, uncharacteristic blips have mounted up too. He will have a point to prove this weekend, but may find it difficult if coming up against top form opponents like Price, Wright and Aspinall. PC & ET win percentage this year is 77%.
4. Nathan Aspinall: The defending champion has had a solid start to his debut Premier League season, already taking the scalp of MvG, and also has a Pro Tour title under his hat. He had a great year in 2019, winning this, and also taking home a World Series title too. The Asp has a big stage game, big scoring and good combination finishing, and doesn't fear anyone. He will fancy retaining his title. PC & ET win percentage is 78%.
5. Krzysztof Ratajski: The Polish Eagle is becoming a serial winner away from your TV screens. Previously a World Master over in the BDO, and with a Pro Tour title under his belt in 2020, Ratajski will feel he has the game to go deep in any tournament. He is always a danger man, and surely a good TV run is only around the corner. PC & ET win percentage is 77%.
6. Gary Anderson: Still one of the best players around, the two time World Champion has already shown this in 2020 winning Player's Championship 1. In and out form, but capable of hitting the heights, Anderson could be a threat. I think he will need to avoid those already listed to win this one due to his in and out form, but in a one off game, he can beat anyone. PC & ET win percentage is 75%.
7. Ryan Searle: Possibly the first real outsider in this list, but Searle does have a title under his belt this year, a Player's Championship win against MvG. Searle was disappointed with himself despite a good showing at Ally Pally; he felt he had more to show, and will feel he can have a run in Minehead too. A good draw could see him make Sunday. He will be a threat to anyone in a one off game this weekend. PC & ET win percentage is 68%.
8. Michael Smith: Bully Boy is the new nearly man in darts. Runner up time and again in the big ones, with match darts most recently at the Masters, but if you knock enough, surely the door will eventually open. In recent days Smith has hit a nine-darter in the Premier League, and made the ET1 final, beating MvG en route. Form is looking good, and Smith will be hoping to claim his maiden major title here. PC & ET win percentage is 63%.
9. Dirk van Duijvenbode: DvD has shown signs over the past 3-4 years, but has really hit form early in 2020. Good runs in Players Championship events, 100+ averages, and a weekend semi final run, will see Big Dirk as one to be avoided in the open draw. Like Searle, he may need a favourable draw to make the Sunday, but he will also feel he could cause an upset or two if the need arises. PC & ET win percentage is 67%.
10. Danny Noppert: Noppie was pulling up trees before his switch from the BDO, but maybe hasn't quite reached those levels in the PDC. Early season form is good though, with signs that type of game isn't far away. Noppert has a BDO Finder Masters title, Lakeside Runner Up, Players Championship Finals Semi Final, and also a Players Championship (Pro Tour) win under his belt already, which may show you the high expectations I have of his game. A dangerous outside if his A game turns up. PC & ET win percentage is 71%.

Wildcards

• Gabriel Clemens: The Giant German in reality has had a good 18-24 months in the PDC. Arguably he is the number 1 German right now, despite the positive press and titles claimed by Max Hopp. Actually the no.11 player this year. PC & ET win percentage is 71%.

• Glen Durrant: The three time BDO World Champion & two times World Master has threatened in the PDC majors since joining. Already ranked inside the top 20 after just 14 months in the PDC, Duzza's consistency can only mean another good run in a PDC big one. Add to this a solid start in his Premier League debut, and you can't really doubt his quality. PC & ET win percentage is 71%.

• Jeff Smith: The former Lakeside Runner Up, hit the ground running after claiming a Tour Card in January. His solid game will be a threat, particularly with a favourable draw, but even on the big stage The Silencer might just take out big names this weekend. PC & ET win percentage is 63%.

• Devon Petersen: His season to date can't be described as amazing, but there were signs of darts from the gods in a recent Players Championship run. The South African number one, maybe most famous for his dancing, is a huge 180 scorer when everything is flowing, and with more consistency he has the game to take out anyone. Working with Wayne Mardle seems to be helping with that big scoring becoming more consistent. I'm interested to see if the combination of TV and improved consistency will see Devon write at least some headlines this weekend. PC & ET win percentage is 57%.

The list could go on, but I had to give an honourable mention to Chris Dobey, Luke Humphries and Jeffrey de Zwaan as high calibre, emerging players, who could do damage this weekend.