UK Open 2022 - Mastercaller

The 20th edition of the UK Open was held at the Butlins Resort in Minehead from 4 to 6 March 2022. A total of 158 players competed for the title. In the end it was Danny Noppert who made history by taking a major title for the first time in his career.

In the first three rounds, the top 32 of the world are not yet in action. Nevertheless, there are plenty of well-known names to be seen in the first afternoon session. Two-time UK Open winner Raymond van Barneveld plays his first game against William Borland but loses 6-5 after missing eight match darts. Jelle Klaasen beats Cameron Menzies in the second round with an average of 104.21 and Adrian Lewis beat Fabian Schmutzler 6-0 and averaged 108.65.

After the exciting afternoon there are still 64 players left: the best 32 in the world + the winners of the third round. In the fourth round, a few absolute great games are immediately on the program. Michael van Gerwen beats Gary Anderson 10-7, while Peter Wright beats Joe Cullen 10-6. Vincent van der Voort wins the Dutch clash against Jermaine Wattimena (10-5) and Danny Noppert records a 10-3 victory over Ryan Meikle. Maik Kuivenhoven is close to finishing in the last 32, but he is defeated in a deciding leg against Simon Whitlock (10-9).

32 Players left can make a shot at the title. Ryan Searle wins his match against Dimitri van den Bergh (10-8), but the biggest surprise comes from Damon Heta who manages to win 10-4 over Michael van Gerwen. Danny Noppert plays a good match against Devon Petersen and eventually wins 10-8. Jonny Clayton destroys Jose de Sousa and beats the Portuguese by clear numbers: 10-1.

In the last sixteen there are still two Dutchmen in the tournament: Danny Noppert and Dirk van Duijvenbode. The open draw links both compatriots. It is Noppert who is clearly too strong and takes a nice 10-2 victory over 'The Titan'. Title holder James Wade plays a strong tournament and reaches the quarterfinals after a 10-8 victory over Boris Krcmar. Peter Wright does not manage to reach the last eight: the Scottish World Champion loses 10-7 to the surprisingly strong William O'Connor. Damon Heta also beats Jonny Clayton (10-8) after Michael van Gerwen and Sebastian Bialecki reaches his first major quarterfinal ever after a 10-6 win against Ryan Searle. Only one game goes to a deciding leg. In this, Michael Smith beats Mensur Suljovic (10-9).

Title holder James Wade loses in the quarterfinals. It is the young Irishman Keane Barry who throws well and wins 10-4. Another Irishman, William O'Connor, also qualifies for the semi-finals. In an all-deciding leg, he manages to beat the Polish Sebastian Bialecki (10-9). Danny Noppert advances to the semi-finals after a 10-5 win over 'giant killer' Damon Heta and Michael Smith reaches the semi-finals after a 10-7 win against Gerwyn Price.

Both Irish semi-finalists fail to make it to the final. They both play a creditable match, but at the end of the match they must recognize their superiority in their opponent. Barry loses 11-6 to Smith, while O'Connor loses 11-9 to Noppert after a difficult match. As a result, 'The Freeze' is in a major final at the PDC for the first time in his career.

The final of the UK Open 2022 will be one that will be talked about for a long time to come. Michael Smith fails to win a major final again, but he probably should have won this one. The entire game it is Noppert who does not throw well, but the Dutchman remains constantly in the game. As a result, the match is equal and there is a chance for the title for both men. It is Smith who misses a match dart on the bullseye, after which a deciding leg must be played. Noppert proves to be the strongest in this and via his first match dart on tops it is Danny Noppert who becomes the very surprising winner of the UK Open 2022.

UK Open

About UK Open 2022

Competitors Of UK Open 2022

Toni Alcinas

Vladimir Andersen

Gary Anderson

Nathan Aspinall

Danny Baggish

Keane Barry

Steve Beaton

Darren Beveridge

Sebastian Białecki

William Borland

Andy Boulton

Bradley Brooks

Keegan Brown

John Brown

Stephen Bunting

Kevin Burness

Richie Burnett

Matt Campbell

Dave Chisnall

Jamie Clark

Brett Claydon

Steve Clayson

Jonny Clayton

Gabriel Clemens

Reece Colley

Rob Cross

Joe Cullen

Mike De Decker

Geert De Vos

Chris Dobey

Kevin Doets

Brendan Dolan

Glen Durrant

Ritchie Edhouse

Ricky Evans

David Evans

Ted Evetts

Nick Fullwell

Adam Gawlas

Andrew Gilding

Matt Good

Daryl Gurney

Graham Hall

Ryan Harrington

Jason Heaver

Florian Hempel

John Henderson

Jimmy Hendriks

Damon Heta

Paul Hogan

Max Hopp

Peter Hudson

Jamie Hughes

Luke Humphries

Adam Hunt

Kim Huybrechts

Danny Jansen

Prakash Jiwa

Jake Jones

Ryan Joyce

José Justicia

Keelan Kay

Krzysztof Kciuk

George Killington

Mervyn King

Jelle Klaasen

Martijn Kleermaker

Boris Krcmar

Maik Kuivenhoven

Darius Labanauskas

Danny Lauby II

Steve Lennon

Zoran Lerchbacher

Kai-Fan Leung

Adrian Lewis

Eddie Lovely

Jason Lowe