The Fourth Round of the 2026 UK Open delivered everything we at Nine Dart News have come to expect from the FA Cup of Darts: superb scoring, upsets and a second-session draw that sets up several high-profile matches.
Gary Anderson was the standout performer of the Saturday morning session at Butlins Minehead, posting a 107.42 three-dart average to beat Dirk van Duijvenbode 10-6. Van Duijvenbode himself averaged 101.59, a number that would have won most other matches on the board. Anderson, though, was untouchable.
The result of the round belonged to Wessel Nijman. The Dutchman dismantled five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld 10-1, averaging 102.39. Barneveld had looked vulnerable on Friday evening, scraping past Karel Sedlacek 6-5 in Round 3 with an 85.75 average.
Humphries Cruises, Wade Survives
Luke Humphries reminded everyone of his quality with a 105.16 average in a comfortable 10-3 win over Luke Woodhouse. At the other end of the spectrum, 2025 runner-up James Wade needed every ounce of his experience to edge past Chris Dobey 10-9, despite Dobey posting the higher average of the two (102.90 to Wade’s 95.46). Wade secured the win despite Dobey posting the higher average (102.90 to 95.46).
Michael van Gerwen ground out a 10-8 victory over Nathan Aspinall in a contest between two players in solid form, while defending champion Luke Littler eased past Damon Heta 10-3, averaging 94.91.
Elsewhere, Rob Cross won a high-quality battle with Gian van Veen 10-7 (both players averaging above 101), and Gerwyn Price dispatched Greg Ritchie 10-3.
Full Fourth Round Results
| Winner | Score | Loser | W. Avg | L. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Anderson | 10-6 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 107.42 | 101.59 |
| Luke Humphries | 10-3 | Luke Woodhouse | 105.16 | 97.53 |
| Wessel Nijman | 10-1 | Raymond van Barneveld | 102.39 | 88.28 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 10-8 | Nathan Aspinall | 101.89 | 97.12 |
| Rob Cross | 10-7 | Gian van Veen | 101.78 | 101.60 |
| Josh Rock | 10-9 | William O’Connor | 98.42 | 96.82 |
| Kevin Doets | 10-5 | Jeffrey de Graaf | 98.26 | 92.57 |
| Keane Barry | 10-2 | Henry Coates | 97.11 | 78.37 |
| Martin Schindler | 10-8 | Joe Cullen | 97.36 | 91.88 |
| Gerwyn Price | 10-3 | Greg Ritchie | 95.88 | 81.90 |
| Peter Wright | 10-6 | Cameron Menzies | 95.74 | 92.55 |
| Mike De Decker | 10-8 | Adam Lipscombe | 95.33 | 91.88 |
| Ross Smith | 10-4 | Andrew Gilding | 95.89 | 88.48 |
| Luke Littler | 10-3 | Damon Heta | 94.91 | 90.25 |
| James Wade | 10-9 | Chris Dobey | 95.46 | 102.90 |
| Ryan Searle | 10-7 | Andy Boulton | 94.82 | 88.73 |
| Krzysztof Ratajski | 10-4 | Ricky Evans | 95.82 | 90.26 |
| Mensur Suljovic | 10-5 | Jermaine Wattimena | 94.30 | 89.01 |
| Daryl Gurney | 10-7 | Niels Zonneveld | 94.32 | 93.01 |
| Danny Noppert | 10-4 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 92.22 | 89.94 |
| Stephen Bunting | 10-5 | Thibault Tricole | 92.25 | 91.09 |
| Darryl Pilgrim | 10-5 | Connor Scutt | 93.05 | 86.12 |
| Gabriel Clemens | 10-9 | Richard Veenstra | 92.09 | 90.99 |
| Dave Chisnall | 10-5 | Scott Campbell | 91.77 | 87.19 |
| Martin Lukeman | 10-6 | Ritchie Edhouse | 91.22 | 87.89 |
| Jonny Clayton | 10-2 | Alexander Merkx | 90.18 | 85.71 |
| Dominik Gruellich | 10-8 | Niall Culleton | 90.14 | 82.50 |
| Kai Gotthardt | 10-8 | Tom Sykes | 90.09 | 91.12 |
| Oskar Lukasiak | 10-7 | Benjamin Pratnemer | 89.71 | 88.71 |
| Ryan Joyce | 10-6 | Charlie Manby | 89.53 | 98.45 |
| Madars Razma | 10-9 | Jim Long | 85.31 | 85.57 |
| Michael Smith | 10-8 | Leon Weber | 82.42 | 84.41 |
Fifth Round Draw: The Afternoon Session
The open draw has done what it does best. Here is what we at Nine Dart News will be watching from 13:00 GMT.
Main Stage: Gary Anderson v Martin Schindler, Wessel Nijman v Gerwyn Price, Kevin Doets v Luke Littler, Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall.
Stage Two: Darryl Pilgrim v Jonny Clayton, Peter Wright v Danny Noppert, Mike De Decker v Rob Cross, Kai Gotthardt v Michael van Gerwen.
Stage Three: Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney, Mensur Suljovic v Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock v Dominik Gruellich, Ryan Joyce v Keane Barry.
Stage Four: Martin Lukeman v Madars Razma, Gabriel Clemens v James Wade, Oskar Lukasiak v Krzysztof Ratajski, Ryan Searle v Michael Smith.
The headline match is Littler’s title defence against Kevin Doets on the Main Stage. But after what we saw this morning, Nijman against Price could be the tie of the round. Nijman is playing with serious confidence, and Price will need to respond in kind.
The afternoon session gets underway at 13:00 GMT.
