2026 UK Open Friday Preview

James Punt has already posted an outright betting preview and tips, click here to see who he fancies. He has also had a look at some of the most interesting Round 1-3 matches, check out his 2026 UK Open Friday preview and tips below.

2026 UK Open Friday

The first three rounds of the UK Open all take place between 11.00am and around 4.00pm on Friday. That is 96 matches in five hours. Forgive me for not previewing them all.

I have looked at the matches in which we already know the participants and come up with seven games that look to offer some decent value.

The first-round matches sees the 16 ‘amateur’ qualifiers, 16 Development Tour players, the 16 Challenge Tour players and the 16 lowest ranked Tour Card holders playing off for the right to enter the second round.

Minefield

This first round is a punting minefield. A lot of very inexperienced, inconsistent players who can be anything. To say they are hard to predict would be an understatement. There are some familiar names, players who have fallen from grace, mixed with those up-and-coming youngsters, hopefuls and chancers.

There are the likes of Jeffrey de Zwaan, Simon ‘The Mirror Man’ Stevenson, Merv King and Darius Labanauskas mixing it with Charlie Manby, Cristo Reyes and Owen Bates. And then a host of players you have never heard of, and probably never will again. Perhaps against my better judgement, I have picked one match from the first round.

Owen Bates vs. Yorick Hofkens

We have come across Owen ‘The Master’ Bates before. He was banned from using his nickname in the 2024 World Championship. He has won a couple of Development Tour titles in 2025 and a Challenger Tour title in 2023.

Bates still holds a Tour Card, but he needs a big season in 2026, or it is back to Q school for him. He has played in a lot of Players Championships, and that is good training for the early stages of this event.

Bates has played in five ranking Majors and won just three matches. He has beaten Noppert and Cullen on the Euro Tour but it just hasn’t worked out. His yearly average is 88.54, which is handy enough at this level. He has won six of his last ten matches, mostly at Development tour level.

Q School

Yorick Hofkens won a Tour Card at the European Q School in January and then lost his next ten matches. In the first six Players Championships, he has won just a single match. His other wins have been on the Development tour.

Hofkens’ yearly average is 83.52. His stage experience extends to a single Euro Tour loss to Cameron Menzies. This is not going to be played on a stage, just one of the floor boards, but it is his first Major.

Bates is the better, more experienced player and if he can draw on that, it should be a case of alas poor Yorick.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 1 point Owen Bates to win -1.5 legs @ 1.80 with Ladbrokes

Round 2

Christian Kist vs. Sebastian Bialecki

I will keep this simple. Kist played in the two Players Championship events last week and reached the quarter finals of both. He hit nine 92+ averages and six 95+, so he played well.

The Dutchman lost 0-6 to Dobey in PC5, but got revenge in PC6, beating Dobey 6-4, averaging 99.15. He also played Bialecki in PC5 and won that 6-1.

The young Pole famously reached the quarter final here in 2022 and he has won seven of his last ten matches, but half saw sub 90 averages.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 1 point Christian Kist to win @ 2.10 with Hills

Adam Gawlas vs. Tavis Dudeney

Gawlas is having a second stab at being a Tour Card professional. He was a much-fancied young player a couple of years ago and had some good results, including reaching the semi-final here in 2023, but lost his Tour Card for 2025.

Gawlas won it back in January and promptly reached the semi-final of PC1 last month, beating the likes of Edhouse, Rydz and Nijman. He qualified for ET1 and beat Dirk van Duijvenbode in the first round, before losing 4-6 to Jonny Clayton. He still lacks the consistency needed to realise his potential, but he is hungry for success.

Dudeney won his tour car last year and lost his first-round match 0-6 here last year against Graham Hall. It is fair to say that he struggles at Pro Tour level. He has only won seven matches at senior level in 2026. In his last ten matches, he has hit seven sub 80 averages, including in two 1-6 defeats in PC5 and PC6. In his last ten senior matches, he has lost five 1-6.

Gawlas is the 1.13 favourite but I will chuck a small bet on a 6-1 win for the Czech.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 0.5 point Adam Gawlas to win 6-1 @ 4.75 with Bet365

Round 3

Kevin Doets vs. Ricardo Pietrczko

Kevin Doets will have been delighted with this draw. He has played Pietreczko seven times and won all seven. Five of those were in best of eleven leg format and Doets covered a -1.5 leg handicap in them all.

Pikachu is not in great form, losing five of his last ten matches and his win rate in 2026 is just 47%. He has played in four UK Opens and only won two matches.

Doets has won seven of his last ten matches and reached the quarter final of PC6 last week. All his last ten matches have seen 90+ averages, seven 95+ and three ton plus.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 1 point Kevin Doets to win -1.5 legs @ 1.83 with BET365

Richard Veenstra vs. Alan Soutar

These two have played three times, including one match last week. Veenstra won that 6-5. All three have been over 9.5 legs, two 6-5 and a 6-4.

Veenstra has won five of his last ten matches but he has been playing with a fair degree of consistency. Soutar has won seven of his last ten matches, and likewise, Soots is playing with good consistency.

Another close match looks likely. Soutar should edge it, but I’ll stick with an over bet.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs with Betfred, Bresbet

Karel Sedlacek vs. Raymond van Barneveld

Evil Charlie is in good form, winning seven of his last ten matches and reaching the semi-final of PC5 last week.

Barney, on the other hand, is in the bin form wise. He has lost eleven of his last twelve matches. His win rate in 2026 is just 11%. Eight of his last ten have seen sub 90 averages, three sub 80s and even a sub 70. Dog and Duck stuff.

Sedlacek is 6-3 against Barney and he has won their last five in a row.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 2 points Sedlacek to win -1.5 legs @ 1.80 generally available

Brendan Dolan vs. Ricky Evans

Brendan Dolan has won seven of his last ten matches and hit six 95+ averages. That is a big improvement in his form and hopefully his tail will be up as a result. Ricky Evans has lost five of his last ten matches and hit six sub 90 averages.

Their H2H record is 8-3 to Dolan and given their recent form, Dolan looks the value bet at the odds.

2026 UK Open Friday Tip: 1 point Brendan Dolan to win @ 2.28 with Livescorebet

There will be a very brief preview of the fourth-round matches, hopefully posted by 6.00pm on Friday evening, but I’ll not be able to cover all 32 matches.

-JamesPunt