Gerwyn Price stars in an epic comeback as the madness of the UK Open continues
Gerwyn Price stars in an epic comeback as the madness of the UK Open continues
Gerwyn Price produced one of the most remarkable recoveries ever witnessed at the UK Open, overturning a huge deficit against Keane Barry to keep his hopes of lifting the title alive during a dramatic day of action in Minehead.
Celebrating his 41st birthday on Saturday, the former world champion appeared to be heading out of the tournament when he trailed Barry 9–4. However, Price delivered a stunning late surge, winning six legs in succession to snatch victory and secure a place in the quarter-finals.
The comeback was fuelled by a series of superb checkouts, as Price nailed finishes of 121, 84, 81, 90 and 79 in consecutive legs to pile the pressure on his Irish opponent. With the momentum firmly on his side, the Welshman sealed the turnaround with a composed 14-dart hold, completing one of the most memorable fightbacks in the competition’s history.
Reflecting on the rollercoaster contest afterwards, Price admitted his performance had been far from perfect earlier in the match.
“I missed some chances early on. I was missing doubles left right and centre,” reflected Price, who averaged 101 in his 10-5 victory over Wessel Nijman earlier in the day.
“I think I lost five legs on the bounce, it was a frustrating game at times. I was scoring really well and missing doubles.
“I’m just thankful to come through that game, and I’m on a free roll now, so I don’t care.
“I get support everywhere now, but this was like playing in Wales! There was support for Keane and me, but maybe a bit more for me at the end I think!”
Price’s reward is a blockbuster quarter-final meeting with his World Cup partner Jonny Clayton. Clayton, who last lifted a televised ranking trophy in October 2021, kept his hopes alive with a pair of solid performances earlier in the day.
The Welshman booked his spot on Finals Day after securing back-to-back 10–7 victories against Darryl Pilgrim and Martin Lukeman. Clayton impressed particularly in his last-16 clash with Lukeman, smashing in eight 180s during the contest.
Saturday’s play represented the second day of the £750,000 tournament at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, with rounds five and six taking place as the field narrowed ahead of Sunday’s Finals Day.
Defending champion Luke Littler continued his pursuit of consecutive UK Open titles with another impressive showing. The world number one survived a difficult encounter with Kevin Doets, eventually edging through 10–8 during Saturday afternoon’s session.
Littler then raised his level considerably in the evening, producing a commanding display to defeat 2018 champion Gary Anderson 10–5.
Anderson had earlier produced exceptional darts to reach round six, averaging 107.42 in his win over Dirk van Duijvenbode and 105.8 when beating Martin Schindler. However, the Scotsman was unable to repeat that level against Littler.
The teenage world champion will now face Danny Noppert in another intriguing quarter-final contest. Noppert, the 2022 UK Open champion, enjoyed a superb Saturday to eliminate two major names from the tournament.
After hitting a spectacular nine-darter during his victory over Dimitri Van den Bergh on Friday, the Dutchman continued his momentum by demolishing 2017 winner Peter Wright 10–2 on Stage Two.
Noppert then claimed an even bigger scalp in the last 16, punishing a wasteful performance from world number two Luke Humphries to record his first major stage win over the two-time UK Open runner-up.
“What can I say? I won against Luke Humphries finally on the big stage,” quipped Noppert, one of three former champions remaining in the field.
“I’m very happy with my performance. I think Luke didn’t play his best game; he missed a lot of doubles so I had more opportunities.
“I took my chances and that’s the most important thing. Four years ago now, I lifted the title here. I lifted it once, why not twice!”
Another major name exiting the competition was Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen, who was eliminated following a brilliant display from James Wade.
Wade, a three-time UK Open champion spanning three different decades, followed his 10–2 victory over Gabriel Clemens with a superb performance against Van Gerwen. Averaging 105.83, the experienced left-hander stormed to a convincing 10–3 win.
Next up for Wade will be a quarter-final showdown with former world champion Rob Cross. Cross progressed after defeating both Mike De Decker and Daryl Gurney earlier in the day.
The Englishman battled back from 9–7 down to edge past De Decker in a tense round five encounter, before producing clinical finishing — including 130 and 152 checkouts — in a comfortable 10–6 win against Gurney.
The final quarter-final pairing will see Josh Rock take on Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski in Sunday afternoon’s opening match on the Main Stage.
Ratajski booked his place in the last eight by defeating Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak and World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle, reaching his second UK Open quarter-final and his first since 2021.
Rock, meanwhile, maintained his push for a first televised ranking title by claiming consecutive 10–7 victories over Germany’s Dominik Gruellich and Premier League rival Stephen Bunting.
Once Sunday afternoon’s quarter-finals are complete, the draw for the semi-finals will be conducted live on the Main Stage. The tournament will then reach its conclusion later that evening, with both semi-finals and the final scheduled for the closing session.
Gerwyn Price stars in an epic comeback as the madness of the UK Open continues
2026 Ladbrokes UK Open
Saturday March 7
Afternoon Session
Round Five
Gary Anderson 10-7 Martin Schindler
Gerwyn Price 10-5 Wessel Nijman
Luke Littler 10-8 Kevin Doets
Luke Humphries 10-4 Dave Chisnall
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Darryl Pilgrim
Danny Noppert 10-2 Peter Wright
Rob Cross 10-9 Mike De Decker
Michael van Gerwen 10-6 Kai Gotthardt
Daryl Gurney 10-8 Ross Smith
Stephen Bunting 10-2 Mensur Suljovic
Josh Rock 10-7 Dominik Gruellich
Keane Barry 10-7 Ryan Joyce
Martin Lukeman 10-3 Madars Razma
James Wade 10-2 Gabriel Clemens
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-5 Oskar Lukasiak
Ryan Searle 10-9 Michael Smith
Evening Session
Round Six
Josh Rock 10-7 Stephen Bunting
Luke Littler 10-5 Gary Anderson
James Wade 10-3 Michael van Gerwen
Danny Noppert 10-6 Luke Humphries
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Martin Lukeman
Rob Cross 10-6 Daryl Gurney
Gerwyn Price 10-9 Keane Barry
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-5 Ryan Searle
Sunday March 8
Afternoon Session (1300 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Main Stage
Krzysztof Ratajski v Josh Rock
James Wadę v Rob Cross
Luke Littler v Danny Noppert
Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals & Final – Main Stage
