© Reuters
Since failing to win the PDC World Championship over Christmas, Michael van Gerwen has responded by claiming 12 ranking titles since the start of February but the desire to dominate darts throughout the remainder of 2018 has not fizzled out. The world number one suffered an early exit at the UK Open, and recent defeats to James Wade and Michael Smith in the World Series events in Las Vegas and Shanghai will only have sharpened the Dutchman's focus ahead of the unofficial second Major. There is a chance that the jet lag and the change in time zones over the past two weeks may play a part during his time in Blackpool, but this is a player who is desperate to get his hands back on the big trophies after also missing out at the Winter Gardens 12 months ago and losing in the first round of the World Grand Prix.
When Major tournaments come around, the darts betting odds usually indicate that there is no value in backing Van Gerwen at a short price but as it stands, the 4/5 on offer is as good as it is going to get - especially over a format which suits Van Gerwen. His odds partly reflect the two setbacks against Wade and Smith and a draw which could lead to Van Gerwen having to defeat Adrian Lewis - who says that he is only focused on his opening-round match - Smith and Gary Anderson just to reach the final in the North-West of England, but with a point to prove, it is difficult to avoid an outright bet before the start of this tournament.
That is not to say that Van Gerwen's opening encounter with Jeffrey de Zwann should be ignored. The young Dutchman's form has dropped off over the past month but the 22-year-old defeated Van Gerwen at the UK Open in March and is quickly developing into one of the biggest prospects in the sport. Do not expect De Zwann to win Saturday's contest but over a race to 10, he is worth a punt at +4.5 on the handicap at 37/20. Before Van Gerwen and De Zwann take to the stage, Dave Chisnall and Keegan Brown will meet, and there is the possibility of the first shock of the tournament. Chisnall has not displayed any consistency over the past 12 months and Brown has strung together some wins to qualify for this event for just the second time. The youngster is available at 2/1 and if you combine that with De Zwann on the handicap, you are getting nearly 7/1.
With the top half of the draw stacked with most of the big names, it means that there are openings for each-way bets in the bottom half. Rob Cross and Peter Wright are the obvious bets but can Mensur Suljovic be ignored at 25/1 without being required to meet Van Gerwen or Anderson before the final? We think not. Suljovic is in a quarter of the draw with a number of workmanlike players but not only does the quirky Austrian possess flair to his game, he also heads to Blackpool with a win at the Danish Open and a quarter-final appearance at the European Matchplay. The 46-year-old is also well rested after missing the two World Series events and there is little doubting that this is Suljovic's best opportunity to go deep at this tournament.
Wright and Wade are also worth nibbles at 9/1 and 25/1 respectively given their form, but you have to expect that visits to Las Vegas and Shanghai are going to take their toll at some point, especially with temperatures in England set to soar again next week. It is at least best-of-25 legs from the last 16 onwards and this is a tournament which requires stamina and mental strength. Van Gerwen gets a three-day break - providing that he wins his opener - and Suljovic is refreshed to go the distance so we are not looking at anything but a final involving these two players.
