Richie Burnett knocks out Peter Wright to reach the last eight of the UK Open; Michael van Gerwen to face Nathan Aspinall in quarter-finals after the pair beat Luke Humphries and Joe Cullen respectively. Defending champion Danny Noppert knocked out by William O’Connor.
Last Updated: 04/03/23 11:13pm
Richie Burnett produced the result of the day to knock out Peter Wright
Richie Burnett stunned Peter Wright to reach the quarter-finals of the UK Open for the first time in his career on Saturday, while Michael van Gerwen recorded a dominant win over Luke Humphries to continue his pursuit of a fourth Minehead crown.
Burnett, whose previous best at the UK Open came in 2007 when he reached the last 16, was a 10-8 winner against 2022 world champion Wright after ousting Ted Evetts 10-9 earlier in the day.
The 56-year-old ‘Prince of Wales’ will now face Dimitri Van den Bergh for a place in the semi-finals on Sunday after the Belgian defeated 2018 champion Gary Anderson 10-8.
“I’ve been an idiot over the years, I’ve really underachieved, I’ve been an absolute maniac but I’ve never harmed anybody, only been a fool to myself. I’m just making up for lost time,” Burnett told ITV Sport.
It marks a first quarter-final appearance for the 1995 BDO world champion since his appearance in the final eight at the 2014 Grand Prix.
Van Gerwen followed up Friday’s hard-fought victory over Dave Chisnall by dispatching Martijn Kleermaker 10-6 before making light work of Humphries, who had overcome world champion Michael Smith 10-9.
Awaiting the Dutchman in the next round is Nathan Aspinall after the 2019 tournament winner booked his place in the last eight with a 10-2 victory over Joe Cullen after seeing off Dirk van Duijvenbode in the afternoon session.
UK Open: Last 16 results
| Main Stage | Nathan Aspinall 10-2 Joe Cullen |
|---|---|
| Peter Wright 8-10 Richie Burnett | |
| Gary Anderson 8-10 Dimitri Van den Bergh | |
| Michael van Gerwen 10-4 Luke Humphries | |
| Stage Two | Brendan Dolan 8-10 Andrew Gilding |
| William O’Connor 3-10 Adam Gawlas | |
| Jonny Clayton 8-10 Martin Schindler | |
| Jeffrey de Zwaan 7-10 Rob Cross |
UK Open quarter-final draw
| Andrew Gilding v Martin Schindler |
| Michael van Gerwen v Nathan Aspinall |
| Rob Cross v Adam Gawlas |
| Richie Burnett v Dimitri Van den Bergh |
Adam Gawlas continued his fine run with a 10-3 triumph over William O’Connor, who had knocked out defending champion Danny Noppert with a 10-9 win earlier in the day.
Jonny Clayton’s weekend was brought to an end in a 10-8 loss to Martin Schindler after the Welshman had cruised past Jose de Sousa, and Rob Cross marched on to the quarters with a 10-7 win over Jeffrey de Zwaan, who had progressed to the evening session by edging out Gerwyn Price.
