2021 UK Open
The 2021 Ladbrokes UK Open was a darts tournament staged by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was the nineteenth year of the tournament where players compete in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion. The tournament was held for the first time at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England, between 5–7 March 2021, and was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
| 2021 Ladbrokes UK Open | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 5–7 March 2021 | ||
| Venue | Marshall Arena | ||
| Location | Milton Keynes, England | ||
| Organization(s) | Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) | ||
| Format | Legs Final – best of 21  | ||
| Prize fund | £450,000 | ||
| Winner's share | £100,000 | ||
| Nine-dart finish | Sebastian Białecki  Jitse van der Wal  | ||
| High checkout | 170 Chris Dobey Glen Durrant Geert Nentjes Devon Petersen Michael Smith  | ||
| Champion(s) | |||
  | |||
Michael van Gerwen was the defending champion after defeating Gerwyn Price 11–9 in the 2020 final.[2] However, he lost 11–5 to Luke Humphries in the semi-finals.
Lisa Ashton became the first female to win a match at the UK Open since 2005, defeating Aaron Beeney 6–2 in Round 2, and also set a new world record for the highest televised average by a female player, with an average of 100.34.[3] Sebastian Białecki, the first player born after the inaugural event in 2003 to play in the UK Open ,[4] hit a nine-dart finish in his opening round victory over Jim McEwan. Jitse van der Wal then hit a nine-dart finish against Białecki in the second round.[3]
James Wade won his third UK Open title, and his first since 2011, with an 11–5 victory over Luke Humphries in the final.
Prize money
    
The prize fund remained at £450,000. With the withdrawal of seven tour card players the field is reduced to 153 players.
| Stage (no. of players) | Prize money (Total: £450,000)  | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | (1) | £100,000 | 
| Runner-up | (1) | £40,000 | 
| Semi-finalists | (2) | £20,000 | 
| Quarter-finalists | (4) | £12,500 | 
| Last 16 (sixth round) | (8) | £7,500 | 
| Last 32 (fifth round) | (16) | £4,000 | 
| Last 64 (fourth round) | (32) | £2,000 | 
| Last 95 (third round) | (31) | £1,000 | 
| Last 127 (second round) | (32) | £0 | 
| Last 153 (first round) | (25) | £0 | 
Format
    
There is a slight change in format for this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no Rileys amateur qualifiers could be held. In 2021, the top eight of both the UK and European Qualifying School Order of Merits who have not yet qualified for the tournament filled those 16 spots.[5]
The 153 participants will enter the competition incrementally, with 50 players entering in the first round, with match winners joining the 32 players entering in the second and third rounds to leave the last 64 in the fourth round.
- No players are seeded.
 - A random draw is held for each of the following rounds following the conclusion of the third round.
 - All matches in the first, second and third rounds will be played over best of 11 legs.
 - All matches in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and quarter-finals will be played over best of 19 legs.
 - All matches in the semi-finals and final will be played over best of 21 legs.
 - Eight boards will be used for matches in the first, second, third and fourth rounds.
 - Four boards will be used for matches in the fifth round.
 - Two boards will be used for matches in the sixth round.
 - One board will be used for all the matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
 
Qualifiers
    
Boris Krčmar, Daniel Larsson, Darren Penhall, Wesley Harms, Michael Unterbuchner and Robert Marijanović withdrew before the draw was made.
Cristo Reyes and Florian Hempel withdrew after the draw took place, so their opponents Jitse van der Wal (in round 1) and Ryan Joyce (in round 3) both got byes to their next respective rounds.[6] Justin Pipe tested positive for COVID-19, meaning Luke Humphries received a bye to round 4.[7]
Number 1–32 of the PDC Order of Merit (receiving byes into fourth round)
    
 Gerwyn Price 
 Michael van Gerwen 
 Peter Wright 
 Rob Cross 
 James Wade 
 Gary Anderson 
 Dave Chisnall 
 Michael Smith 
 Dimitri Van den Bergh 
 Nathan Aspinall 
 Daryl Gurney 
 Ian White 
 Glen Durrant 
 Krzysztof Ratajski 
 José de Sousa 
 Joe Cullen 
 Stephen Bunting 
 Jonny Clayton 
 Simon Whitlock 
 Mensur Suljović 
 Mervyn King 
 Danny Noppert 
 Jeffrey de Zwaan 
 Adrian Lewis 
 Chris Dobey 
 Vincent van der Voort 
 Jermaine Wattimena 
 Jamie Hughes 
 Gabriel Clemens 
 Dirk van Duijvenbode 
 Ricky Evans 
 Devon Petersen 
Number 33–64 of the PDC Order of Merit (receiving byes into third round)
    
 Steve Beaton 
 Brendan Dolan 
 William O'Connor 
 Keegan Brown 
 Ryan Searle 
 Kim Huybrechts 
 Max Hopp 
 Darius Labanauskas 
 Luke Humphries 
 John Henderson 
 Ross Smith 
 Ryan Joyce 
 Darren Webster 
 Steve West (withdrew)
 Justin Pipe 
 Damon Heta 
 Luke Woodhouse 
 Ron Meulenkamp 
 Steve Lennon 
 Andy Boulton 
 Madars Razma 
 Jelle Klaasen 
 Mickey Mansell 
 Adam Hunt 
 Callan Rydz 
 Matthew Edgar 
 Ted Evetts 
 Josh Payne 
 Jason Lowe 
 James Wilson 
 Mark McGeeney (withdrew)
 Cristo Reyes 
Number 65–96 of the PDC Order of Merit (receiving byes into second round)
    
 Maik Kuivenhoven 
 Jeff Smith 
 Scott Waites 
 Ryan Murray 
 Martijn Kleermaker 
 Wayne Jones 
 Karel Sedláček 
 Derk Telnekes 
 Nick Kenny 
 Andy Hamilton 
 Mike De  Decker 
 Ryan Meikle 
 Lisa Ashton 
 Bradley Brooks 
 William Borland 
 Ciarán Teehan 
 Alan Tabern 
 Kai Fan Leung 
 Jesús Noguera 
 Raymond van Barneveld 
 Krzysztof Kciuk 
 Steve Brown 
 Peter Jacques 
 Martin Atkins 
 Steffen Siepmann 
 Gary Blades 
 Alan Soutar 
 Harald Leitinger 
 Eddie Lovely 
 Keane Barry 
 Jonathan Worsley 
 Aaron Beeney 
Number 97–128 of the PDC Order of Merit (starting in first round)
    
 John Brown 
 Gordon Mathers 
 John Michael 
 Jake Jones 
 Kirk Shepherd 
 Martin Schindler 
 Lewy Williams 
 Jack Main 
 Berry van Peer 
 Scott Mitchell 
 Ritchie Edhouse 
 Geert Nentjes 
 Geert De Vos 
 Martin Lukeman 
 Danny Baggish 
 Joe Murnan 
 Peter Hudson 
 Zoran Lerchbacher 
 Adam Gawlas 
 Boris Koltsov 
 Brett Claydon 
 Andrew Gilding 
 David Evans 
 Jason  Heaver (withdrew)
 Florian Hempel 
 Niels Zonneveld 
PDC Development Tour qualifiers (starting in first round)
    
The top 8 ranked players from the 2020 Development Tour Order of Merit who didn't have a Tour Card for the 2021 season qualified for the first round.
 Damian Mol 
 Kevin Doets 
 Dom Taylor 
 Joe Davis 
 Keelan Kay 
 Brian Raman 
 Rhys Griffin 
 Sebastian Białecki 
PDC Challenge Tour qualifiers (starting in first round)
    
The top 8 ranked players from the 2020 Challenge Tour Order of Merit who didn't have a Tour Card for the 2021 season qualified for the first round.
 Matthew Dennant 
 Jim Williams 
 Rob Collins 
 Maikel Verberk 
 Jitse Van der Wal 
 Nathan Rafferty 
 Richie Burnett 
 Scott Taylor 
PDC UK Qualifying School qualifiers (starting in first round)
    
The top 8 ranked players from the 2021 UK Qualifying School Order of Merit who didn't have a Tour Card for the 2021 season qualified for the first round.
 Chas Barstow 
 Gavin Carlin 
 Martin  Thomas 
 Kevin McDine 
 Jim McEwan 
 Shane McGuirk 
 Matt Jackson 
 Sean Fisher 
PDC European Qualifying School qualifiers (starting in first round)
    
The top 8 ranked players from the 2021 European Qualifying School Order of Merit who didn't have a Tour Card for the 2021 season qualified for the first round.
Draw
    
    
First round (best of eleven legs)
    
With the withdrawal of the six Tour Card holders, six players received a bye to the second round.
| Player | Score | Player | Player | Score | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Rob Collins  | 
w/o | Bye |  David Evans  | 
w/o | Bye | |
|  Andrew Gilding  | 
w/o | Bye |  Michael Rasztovits  | 
w/o | Bye | |
|  Martin  Thomas  | 
w/o | Bye |  Scott Mitchell  | 
w/o | Bye | |
| 89.44 Rhys Griffin  | 
6 – 5 | 84.19 Matt Jackson  | 
3 – 6 | |||
| 81.12 Brett Claydon  | 
3 – 6 | 81.55 Keelan Kay  | 
5 – 6 | |||
| 89.02 Boris Koltsov  | 
6 – 1 | 98.44 Rowby-John Rodriguez  | 
6 – 4 | |||
| 88.19 Berry van Peer  | 
5 – 6 |  Jitse Van der Wal  | 
w/o | |||
| 85.86 Geert De Vos  | 
2 – 6 | 88.18 Martin Lukeman  | 
4 – 6 | |||
| 95.20 Scott Taylor  | 
6 – 4 | 92.09 Shane McGuirk  | 
2 – 6 | |||
| 92.91 Jason  Heaver  | 
6 – 2 | 86.05 Luc  Peters  | 
3 – 6 | |||
| 90.40 Jim McEwan  | 
2 – 6 | 89.91 Chas Barstow  | 
6 – 4 | |||
| 85.59 Joe Murnan  | 
6 – 2 | 85.39 Joe Davis  | 
3 – 6 | |||
| 87.84 Adam Gawlas  | 
4 – 6 | 92.19 Geert Nentjes  | 
6 – 5 | |||
| 97.99 John Brown  | 
6 – 4 | 77.53 Jake Jones  | 
5 – 6 | |||
| 96.50 Zoran Lerchbacher  | 
5 – 6 | 95.08 Gordon Mathers  | 
3 – 6 | |||
| 96.70 Peter Hudson  | 
6 – 1 | 90.27 Ritchie Edhouse  | 
4 – 6 | |||
Second round (best of eleven legs)
    
| Player | Score | Player | Player | Score | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Scott Waites  | 
w/o | 87.43 Scott Taylor  | 
6 – 5 | |||
| 94.69 Nick Kenny  | 
6 – 5 | 94.00 Ciarán Teehan  | 
6 – 5 | |||
| 93.91 Lewy Williams  | 
5 – 6 | 81.97 Keane Barry  | 
6 – 1 | |||
| 80.96 Maik Kuivenhoven  | 
6 – 4 | 77.40 Kevin McDine  | 
3 – 6 | |||
| 87.99 Joe Murnan  | 
3 – 6 | 86.04 Andy Hamilton  | 
6 – 5 | |||
| 93.60 Alan Soutar  | 
6 – 3 | 85.57 Jack Main  | 
6 – 4 | |||
| 93.05 Sebastian Białecki  | 
6 – 3 | 89.66 Chas Barstow  | 
6 – 1 | |||
| 92.38 Michael Rasztovits  | 
2 – 6 | 97.65 William Borland  | 
4 – 6 | |||
| 86.71 Aaron Beeney  | 
2 – 6 | 96.05 Martin Atkins  | 
6 – 3 | |||
| 84.48 Jason  Heaver  | 
5 – 6 | 81.58 Niels Zonneveld  | 
2 – 6 | |||
| 92.19 Jonathan Worsley  | 
1 – 6 | 82.43 Martijn Kleermaker  | 
6 – 3 | |||
| 92.35 Peter Hudson  | 
6 – 1 | 101.79 Jim Williams  | 
6 – 1 | |||
| 80.40 John Brown  | 
6 – 5 | 70.59 Dom Taylor  | 
0 – 6 | |||
| 85.38 Steffen Siepmann  | 
4 – 6 | 88.35 Mike De  Decker  | 
4 – 6 | |||
| 93.55 Alan Tabern  | 
5 – 6 | 92.87 Ryan Murray  | 
2 – 6 | |||
| 88.19 Jeff Smith  | 
1 – 6 | 72.00 Harald Leitinger  | 
0 – 6 | |||
Third round (best of eleven legs)
    
Fourth round (best of nineteen legs)
    
Fifth round (best of nineteen legs)
    
| Player | Score | Player | Player | Score | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91.16 Scott Waites  | 
5 – 10 | 95.07 Darius Labanauskas  | 
9 – 10 | |||
| 101.75 Rob Cross  | 
7 – 10 | 101.68 Luke Humphries  | 
10 – 7 | |||
| 98.66 Gerwyn Price  | 
10 – 3 | 90.30 Michael Smith  | 
9 – 10 | |||
| 86.65 Callan Rydz  | 
6 – 10 | 92.33 Alan Soutar  | 
10 – 7 | |||
| 99.31 Chris Dobey  | 
10 – 1 | 90.09 Luke Woodhouse  | 
6 – 10 | |||
| 93.49 Peter Jacques  | 
10 – 9 | 104.37 Dave Chisnall  | 
10 – 7 | |||
| 103.78 Michael van Gerwen  | 
10 – 4 | 93.06 Daryl Gurney  | 
7 – 10 | |||
| 108.39 Jonny Clayton  | 
10 – 3 | 100.55 Krzysztof Ratajski  | 
10 – 8 | |||
Sixth round (best of nineteen legs)
    
| Player | Score | Player | Player | Score | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97.42 José de Sousa  | 
9 – 10 | 90.11 Devon Petersen  | 
10 – 4 | |||
| 89.36 Gabriel Clemens  | 
5 – 10 | 93.53 Luke Humphries  | 
10 – 4 | |||
| 94.04 Brendan Dolan  | 
9 – 10 | 101.31 Chris Dobey  | 
5 – 10 | |||
| 103.52 Krzysztof Ratajski  | 
10 – 3 | 99.52 Dave Chisnall  | 
10 – 8 | |||
Quarter-finals (best of nineteen legs)
    
| Player | Score | Player | 
|---|---|---|
| 96.70 Simon Whitlock  | 
8 – 10 | |
| 100.71 Gerwyn Price  | 
10 – 9 | |
| 96.07 Dave Chisnall  | 
9 – 10 | |
| 104.14 Krzysztof Ratajski  | 
7 – 10 | 
Semi-finals and Final
    
| Semi-finals  (best of 21 legs)  | Final  (best of 21 legs)  | ||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||
References
    
- "The UK Open to move to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes this March". Sky Sports. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
 - "Ladbrokes UK Open glory for nine-dart Van Gerwen". PDC. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
 - Phillips, Josh. "Ladbrokes UK Open Day One". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
 - Allen, Dave. "Ever-present trio joined as history-makers by teenager". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
 - "2021 Ladbrokes UK Open to be played in Milton Keynes". PDC. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
 - "2021 Ladbrokes UK Open Preview". PDC. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
 - "Pipe to miss Ladbrokes UK Open after positive Covid test". PDC. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.