Day 1 proved to be pretty difficult for the Darts selections, but that was partly down to a slight bit of misfortune.
I mean it is virtually impossible for someone to throw only five scores of 140 or more and four of those were the maximum, but that is what happened with Ryan Joyce to prevent the Double from coming in.
Jermaine Wattimena was not at the races, while Michael van Gerwen also looked out of sorts as he missed the maximum count by a single score.
Not to worry, it is a long season and you have to go through these peaks and troughs and Day 2 is an opportunity to bounce back.
The First Round looks competitive and the short format in the opening Round means it is very dangerous for all of the players with the matches capable of running away from someone very quickly.
Double- Danny Noppert-Daryl Gurner over 4.5 180s & Luke Littler most 180s: Both of the higher Seeded players are amongst the biggest maximum hitters on the Tour and are favoured to move through to the Second Round.
Danny Noppert was disappointing in his performances at the invitational tournaments earlier this month, and Daryl Gurney is more than capable of upsetting him having beaten him twice last year.
The Northern Irishman has perhaps struggled to reach his consistent best level for a while, but he is more than capable of contributing to this maximum hitting total.
And with likely four sets needed, which means at least eight Legs, you do have to feel that both can put enough big scores together to surpass this number.
Luke Littler is Luke Littler and has had plenty of success against Mike de Dekker over the last couple of years- he has tended to win the maximum count in those matches too and can follow suit as he moves through to the Second Round.
Jeffrey de Graaf v Stephen Bunting: Anyone who has been following the Tour ove the last month should be well aware of the standard that Jeffrey de Graaf has been producing.
He Qualified impressively, which will give him confidence, and the World Number 51 is putting some very good averages on the board.
Two years ago Stephen Bunting won the Masters, but that was in the old format and he has not been playing at a consistent level over the last three months.
In the two invitational events earlier this month, Bunting was able to beat those he should, but failed to make it beyond the Quarter Final with both events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ending in defeats to Michael van Gerwen.
He averaged just 81 in the second of those losses, while Jeffrey de Graaf beat Stephen Bunting in a Players Championship Final in the sole meeting in 2025. That ended 8-7 in favour of the underdog, but this is likely to be close and de Graaf is being underestimated.
Both Josh Rock & Connor Scutt over 2.5 180s and 1+ 100 checkout: These two players had a drama filled match at the Grand Slam which was narrowly won by Josh Rock and the Northern Irishman won two floor matches against Connor Scutt too in 2025.
Those two floor events were of very high quality and Scutt has come through the Qualifiers here with real confidence.
His maximum hitting was on point in the last three Rounds of Qualifying and Connor Scutt is a confident player.
Josh Rock will be making his Premier League debut next week, but this is the first competitive action since a disappointing ending to the World Championship. Last year was a big one for him all the same and he is still one of the top maximum hitters on the Tour.
This match could go pretty long with the capabilities of both and finishing off a ton plus checkout is likely going to provide some of the turning points- both are capable and there should be one between them.
MY PICKS: Danny Noppert-Daryl Gurney Over 4.5 180s & Luke Littler Most 180s @ 2.69 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Jeffrey de Graaf @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Josh Rock & Connor Scutt Over 2.5 180s Each and 1+ 100 Checkouts @ 2.70 Bet365 (1 Unit)
World Masters Update: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)
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