The UK Open often proves to be one of the most unpredictable competitions on the annual PDC calendar, and we take a look at some of the records and statistics from previous instalments of the event.
Phil Taylor remains the most decorated player in UK Open history, landing five titles during his illustrious career.
The Power featured in the event 14 times, securing the coveted crown on five occasions including during the competition's inaugural staging back in 2003.
He surged to an 18-8 victory over Shayne Burgess in the final on that occasions, before going on to lift the silverware again in 2005, 2009, 2010 and finally in 2013.
Taylor is just one of four players to boast multiple UK Open titles, along with Michael van Gerwen (3), James Wade (3) and two-time champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Most UK Open Darts Titles:
Five - Phil Yaylor
Three - Michael van Gerwen
Three - James Wade
Two - Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor romped to glory at the UK Open on five occasions, but he actually reached the final six times - with his solitary loss coming at the hands of Robert Thornton in 2012.
In total, 28 players have reached the final of the competition, with eight of those doing so on more than one occasion.
Michael van Gerwen sits second behind Taylor in reaching the showpiece four times, whilst Peter Wright and James Wade have both done so three times.
Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price are amongst the cluster of players to have reached two UK Open finals, with both succumbing to defeat each time.
James Wade holds the current record for the most UK Open appearances, having featured in all 22 editions of the competition.
In fact, he is the only player to have toed the oche every year since the formation of the event back in 2003, with two-time world champion Adrian Lewis second on the list with 20 appearances.
A plethora of players including Michael van Gerwen, Raymond van Barneveld and Peter Wright have chalked up 17 inclusions.
Record UK Open Darts Appearances:
22 - James Wade
20 - Adrian Lewis
17 - Michael van Gerwen
17 - Raymond van Barneveld
17 - Peter Wright
17 - Vincent van der Voort
There have been plenty of whitewashes in UK Open history, but we are still awaiting the first in the final of the event.
Phil Taylor has been responsible for plenty of lopsided successes, easing to a couple of 10-0 victories in runs to the final, including in 2009 when he breezed past Mark Lawrence 10-0 in the quarter-finals.
The closest we have come to a whitewash in a final however, was back in 2014 when 'Jackpot' Adrian Lewis captured his first crown courtesy of an emphatic 11-1 demolition of Terry Jenkins.
In more recent years, finals have been far closer affairs with each of the last three, including in 2024 between Dmitri Van den Bergh and Luke Humphries, going down to a 21st and deciding leg.
No player has been able to better Phil Taylor's 107.82 tournament average from the 2015 UK Open - this despite the Stoke thrower bowing out of the event at the quarter-final stage.
The five-time tournament winner was gunning for a sixth, having notched 103.16, 107.27 and 111.67 averages en-route to setting up a last eight showdown with 'Snakebite' Peter Wright.
Taylor actually scored another sensational 108.57 against the Scotsman, but it wasn't enough to secure victory, as Wright proved to be far sharper on his doubles to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Like numerous other UK Open records, Phil Taylor still boasts the highest three-dart average at the competition, with his 118.66 tally likely to take some beating.
In fact, it was in his match with Kevin Painter - in the last eight of the 2009 event - that the Stoke ace reached this astronomical average, as he stormed to a resounding 9-0 triumph.
The Power actually holds the record for seven of the 10 highest UK Open match averages, and, even more impressively, four of the top five.
Highest UK Open Match Averages:
118.66 - Phil Taylor v Kevin Painter (L32, 2010)
115.62 - Phil Taylor v Mark Lawrence (QF, 2009)
115.51 - Phil Taylor v Ken Maher (L32, 2009)
114.91 - Michael van Gerwen v Kim Huybrechts (L16, 2015)
114.54 - Phil Taylor v Wes Newton (L16, 2008)
Despite Phil Taylor dominating the top 10 match averages at the UK Open, one record he doesn't hold is the highest three-dart average in a final.
That is, for now, in possession of 'Jackpot' Adrian Lewis, who scored a mammoth 109.13 in his 2014 success over Terry Jenkins.
Lewis, who was undoubtedly at the top of his game at Butlin's, Minehead, romped to an 11-1 victory over Jenkins, and thus smashing Taylor's 107.04 record final average which he set 12 months earlier against Andy Hamilton.
There have been a total of 15 perfect legs in UK Open history, with Phil Taylor responsible for four of them.
'The Power' was the first player to land perfection in the event when he pinned double 12 to round off a scintillating leg in his 8-2 fourth roudn victory over Matt Chapman in 2004, before he repeated the trick in victories over Roland Scholten, Wes Newton and Jamie Harvey in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Mervyn King became the second player to land UK Open perfection in 2010, although he went on to lose his fifth round showdown with Gary Anderson, who in turn became the third player to hit a nine0darter two years later in a win over Davey Dodds.
Since then, numerous players have scored a perfect nine-dart leg, including Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Michael Smith, as well as more unfamiliar names such as Sebastian Bialecki and Jitse Van der Wal.
Player: | Method: | Year: |
Phil Taylor v Matt Chapman | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2004 |
Phil Taylor v Roland Scholten | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2005 |
Phil Taylor v Wes Newton | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2007 |
Phil Taylor v Jamie Harvey | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | 2008 |
Mervyn King v Gary Anderson | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2010 |
Gary Anderson v Davey Dodds | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2012 |
Wes Newton v Adrian Lewis | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2013 |
Michael van Gerwen v Rob Cross | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2016 |
Jonny Clayton v Chris DObey | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2020 |
Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2020 |
Sebastian Bialecki v Jim McEwan | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2021 |
Jitse Val der Wal v Sebastian Bialecki | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2021 |
Jose Justicia v Adam Gawlas | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2022 |
James Wade v Boris Krcmar | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2022 |
Michael Smith v Mensure Suljovic | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2022 |