Sunday, March 8, 2026
Column CM159
Day Two of the 2026 UK Open
Day two of the UK Open started a little later. Only two rounds were played – one in each of the two sessions. In the fifth round, only four boards were in use, and in the sixth, only the main and secondary stages remained – it was much more manageable.
The press room was once again affected by the renovations this year. While last year we were crammed into a construction container behind the Sky Pavilion, this year the press room was located directly to the right of the second stage. There was plenty of space this time, and we even got loud music. However, the lights were always dimmed considerably during the sessions. Since we in the press room were always shown the main stage on TV while the second stage was being played live next door, it was a bit confusing.
Unfortunately, none of the four German players made it past the fifth round. Martin Schindler lost 7-10 on the main stage to Gary Anderson, who was simply too strong for him. Gabriel Clemens had a similar experience, unable to keep up with James Wade, losing 2-10.
Dominik Gruellich fought hard against Josh Rock, but he too lost 7-10, and Kai Gotthardt only managed to keep up with Michael van Gerwen for a few legs before being sent home with a 6-10 defeat. None of them played badly, but there is still plenty of room for improvement to reach the very top. 
It was a similar story for other players. Darryl Pilgrim lost to Jonny Clayton, and Mensur Suljovic lost to Stephen Bunting, against whom he clearly hadn’t expected much – he took the 2-10 drubbing in stride. Oskar Lukasiak’s run ended against Krzysztof Ratajski, also not unexpectedly. Like the Germans, reaching the fifth round was already a great success for the Swede. 
Wessel Nijman was pushed to his limits against the much more experienced and exceptionally good Gerwyn Price – it wasn’t the exciting match everyone had hoped for. Nijman seemed to give up in the last few legs, offering little resistance. Kevin Doets, on the other hand, fought hard, and Luke Littler couldn’t shake him off initially. In the end, however, Littler prevailed 10-8.
The match between Mike De Decker and Rob Cross perfectly illustrated that a game isn’t won until the last dart is thrown. De Decker held a lead for a very long time before Cross gradually chipped away at it, leveling the score at 9, and then clinching the final leg for the victory. Cross is in excellent form at the moment.
The match between Ryan Searle and Michael Smith was also quite dramatic, with Searle ultimately managing a narrow 10-9 win. I can’t say why Keane Barry beat Ryan Joyce; I only saw the beginning of the match because I wanted to watch the German players. Luke Humphries had absolutely no trouble against Dave Chisnall, advancing to the sixth round with a 10-4 victory. Danny Noppert was similarly dominant, defeating Peter Wright 10-2 on the second stage.
There weren’t really any surprises in the fifth round, but that changed significantly in the sixth round, which was drawn live on the main stage after the fifth round had concluded.
Several Premier League players and big names who had been flawless up to that point were eliminated.
On the second stage, Daryl Gurney, who had played well, was knocked out by the very determined Rob Cross, and Ryan Searle, in the other match without a Premier League player, simply couldn’t overcome Krzysztof Ratajski. 
The two Welsh players, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, also played on the second stage – and both advanced. While Clayton cruised to a relatively comfortable victory against Lukeman, Gerwyn Price looked destined for defeat against Keane Barry for much of the match. But eventually Gezzy managed to find his rhythm, while Barry began to falter, and Price snatched the deciding leg for a narrow 10-9 win. As a reward, the two Welshmen will face each other in the quarterfinals. 
The main stage featured some of the biggest names in this evening session. It began with Gary Anderson against Luke Littler, and Anderson seemed somewhat out of sorts. He wasn’t playing as well as in his previous matches, while Littler turned up the heat and won the somewhat one-sided encounter 10-5.
Even more one-sided, however, was the match between the previously convincing Michael van Gerwen and James Wade. The Dutchman had somehow lost his doubles and Wade, who was already playing slightly better anyway, ruthlessly exploited the opportunities and thrashed van Gerwen 10-3.
The two Premier League players at the bottom of the table, Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock, also faced off on the main stage. Rock hasn’t won a single match in the Premier League so far and therefore hadn’t earned a single point. However, here at the UK Open Rock seemed much more comfortable and managed to defeat Bunting 10-7.
Last on was Luke Humphries against Danny Noppert. Humphries had started the tournament very well, but similar to Gary Anderson, he never really got into the game. Perhaps he was simply tired, as the Premier League players had come directly from the Premier League in Cardiff to Minehead – quite a strain. In any case, things didn’t go well for Humphries against Noppert, especially on the doubles. It was a frustrating match for him, and apparently he didn’t have the strength to persevere that evening. Noppert deservedly won 10-6.
After the second day of the UK Open, four Premier League players, two players from the top 16, a former world champion, and Poland’s number one, Krzysztof Ratajski, are still in the tournament. It’s still unclear who will win, but a final between the two Lukes is unlikely.
