2025 World Grand Prix Monday Preview – JP
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Preview
James Punt is back in action this evening. He has already penned an outright betting preview, click here to read that. His 2025 World Grand Prix Monday tips are below.
Intro
These first-round matches are fiendishly tricky. It is such a short format and then add in the disruptive potential of the double in format. Discretion is the name of the game. I am going to impose a rule on myself for the first-round matches. No bets at odds on.
Rob Cross vs. Wessel Nijman
Nijman warmed up by winning PC30 on Thursday, his second PDC senior title. He was a semi-finalist on Wednesday in PC29 and has won twelve of his last thirteen matches. There is no guarantee that he can carry that form into this format, but he will be feeling good. He will also be feeling good about facing Rob Cross, who he has played three times and beaten three times.
Rob Cross won a couple of matches last year to reach the quarter final. That was the first time he had got past the second-round stage. He has lost five first round matches.
Nijman is now the 1.83 favourite, in from 1.95 a couple of days ago, with Cross 2.10. I would say that Nijman wins, but he is odds on now. I’m happy enough to sit this one out as Cross is my bogeyman.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: No Bet
Martin Schindler vs. Krzysztof Ratajski
There is not much between the two in terms of recent form, Schindler winning five of his last ten, Ratajski six. Schindler has played in three Grand Prix and won two first round matches and three matches in total, so he knows the ropes.
Ratajski has won three first round matches from six played and also reached one quarter final. It is hard to see a favourite here. Ratajski is 5-2 up in the H2Hs, but much of that is old form.
Schindler is the 1.75 favourite, Ratajski 2.30. Over 2.5 sets is 2.00, which looks quite possible, but there is no clear value in the markets for this one. No bet.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: No Bet
Chris Dobey vs. Cameron Menzies
Dobey has won three of his five first round matches in this event and won a total of seven matches form his five visits. He is comfortable with the format which is still used in his local leagues. Dobey has won seven of his last ten matches and was scoring well in the recent Players Championships.
Menzies has also won seven of his last ten matches, but maybe just not been quite as consistent as Dobey has been scoring wise. Both players lost to eventual winner, Wessell Nijman on Thursday. Menzies has only played in this once and lost his first-round match 0-2 to Dave Chisnall last year.
These two met in the third round of the recent Hungarian Darts Trophy and Dobey edged that 6-5. Their overall H2H record is 8-1 to Dobey.
Dobey is the 1.48 favourite, Menzies 2.90. Dobey obviously deserves favouritism, but his odds are too short, especially in a double in, short match format. There is some value in Menzies’ odds but I don’t want to oppose Dobey given that H2H record. No bet.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: No Bet
James Wade vs. Joe Cullen
Wade is playing quite nicely but has lost six of his last ten matches. He is up to number 5 in the world rankings and has made back-to-back semi-finals in the last two Majors. Wade is a two-time winner of this title, back in the mists of time. He reached the quarter-final last year, his first time past the second round for nine years.
Joe Cullen is an enigma. He won PC5 in March and then went off the radar, before winning PC27 last month. Since then, he has played eight and lost six, playing as badly as that sounds. Cullen reached the quarter final last year and the semi-final in 2023, so he can handle the format.
Their H2H record is 11-8 to Wade, in 2025 2-0 and in their last match, Wade won 10-3 at the World Matchplay.
Wade is the 1.40 favourite with Cullen 3.10. You’d have to think, as one of the best doublers in the game, Wade will win, but he did struggle here for a long time. Cullen? He is a contrarian and you never know. Hopefully Wade can prevail, but this is a no bet match.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: No Bet
Danny Noppert vs. Jermaine Wattimena
Noppert wasn’t in great form in the Players Championship events a few days ago, playing nine and winning six. There were some decent performances but some poor ones. He did win the Hungarian Darts Trophy two weeks ago, so his form is generally good.
His tournament record is not great. Noppert has played in seven Grand Prix, lost three first round matches, lost three second round matches and reached one semi-final.
Wattimena has played in three Grand Prix, the last in 2020. He won two of his first-round matches and reached the quarter final in 2019. His form in the last year or so has improved simply by slowing down a fraction.
First Win
He won his first title back in July and while he went off the boil a bit after that, he has made a Euro Tour quarter final in early September and a Players Championship quarter final last Tuesday. The Machine Gun has won six of his last ten matches, but his actual scoring has not been good with seven sub 91 averages.
Their H2H record is 5-4 to Wattimena and he has won their last three in a row, won twice in 2025 and he beat Noppert 11-10 in last year’s European Championship semi-final. He has good memories of playing Noppert, but they have tended to have close matches, because they are pretty evenly matched talent wise.
Noppert is the 1.75 favourite, Wattimena 2.10. I will have a punt on a close match.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: 1 point over 2.5 sets @ 2.00 with Boylesports
Luke Humphries vs. Nathan Aspinall
Humphries won six of his nine matches at the recent Players Championship events. His first and last matches both saw sub 90 averages but otherwise, he played well. Humphries won this is 2023 and was runner up last year. He has played in four Grand Prix and won three first round matches. He is not quite at his best, but he is still going to be hard to beat.
Aspinall has played in six Grand Prix, reached a final and has lost three first round matches. His recent form sees five wins from his last ten matches and he is showing too much inconsistency. He remains a dangerous opponent but Humphries starts as the 1.50 favourite with Aspinall 2.75.
Their H2H record is 16-9 to Humphries, so Luke will know that he has to be on it here. He will be buoyed by the fact that he had a very recent win over The Asp. That was 6-4 win at the Hungarian Darts Trophy two weeks ago. That was Humphries fourth win in a row against Aspinall.
The odds look spot on. No bet.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: No Bet
Gary Anderson vs. Raymond van Barneveld
The two old men of the tournament got drawn together. Anderson is the strong favourite at 1.36, Barney a 3.30 shot and he is being backed. Anderson is very much a part time player these days, or a winter player. The summer is for fishing.
He prefers to play Players Championships these days so he can hang out with some other old boys and talk about fishing. He does very well on the floor and has won one event and had three semi-final, including one last week. He has also done well in the five Euro Tour events he deemed to play in, winning one, being a runner up in another and a semi-finalist in another.
TV Events
His form in the big TV events is not so good. He has had early exits in the four ranking Majors in 2025. Out in his first match in the World Championship, the UK Open and out in the second round at the Matchplay. Anderson hasn’t gone beyond the second round in this event since 2020 and has suffered two first round defeats. But he has been lucky with the draw this time.
Raymond van Barneveld plays in everything, but with less success. Just qualifying is the target these days. He has lost in the first round for the last two years and didn’t qualify in 2021 and 2022. His record in the Majors in 2025 is worse than Anderson as Barney has lost his opening match in all of them.
Their H2H record is 27-15 to Anderson. They have not met in 2025 and in 2024 it was 2-1. Anderson has won seven of his last ten matches, Barney six of his.
Anderson is playing better, more often, but Barney has an A-game that could upset the odds, but I’d still want a more than 3.30 before parting with any cash to back him. I would also say that Anderson is poor value. No bet.
2025 World Grand Prix Monday Tip: No Bet
Stephen Bunting vs. Niko Springer
Bunting has been one of the form players of 2025, winning two Euro Tour titles, two Players Championship titles and two World Series titles. His ranking Major form in 2025 reads SF/QF/4/QF.
He is playing his best ever darts and now has the confidence to go with his talent. It remains to be seen if he will get a ranking Major title to his credit in 2025, but you have to expect him to come close again.
Bunting has won eight of his last ten matches and in this event, he has made two semifinals. One back in 2014 and the other in 2021. Otherwise, he has lost four first round matches and four second round matches, including a 1-2 first round loss last year, but that was to Luke Humphries.
First Year
This is Springer’s first year on the Pro Tour and he has won a Euro Tour title and been runner up in another. He hasn’t done much in the Players Championships or in the TV events, but it is just his first year with a tour card. He has a 63%-win rate but still needs to improve his consistency and when he does, he will win plenty of matches and more titles.
Their H2H record is 2-0…to Niko Springer. Both wins were on the Euro Tour. There was a 6-5 win back in May and a 6-2 in July. It is fair to say that he is yet to play a Stephen Bunting in full flight, but it is the German who will have a bit of confidence that he can beat Bunting.
Tricky Round
Bunting is one of the fancied players to win the whole thing, but these first-round matches are nightmares for the favourites. The Bullet is desperate to win a Major before it becomes a monkey on his back. It might already be.
I am happy to back Springer to cause an upset. Yes, debutants tend to struggle, but he has a puncher’s chance, and he has a good punch. He is also being backed, in from 3.75.
