Jonny Clayton has booked his place in the UK Open quarter-finals and set his sights on overtaking Michael van Gerwen in the world rankings. The Welshman, nicknamed 'The Ferret', secured a 10-7 victory over Martin Lukeman to advance, though he admitted afterwards: "They look better than what I felt up there." Clayton described the UK Open's unique format as challenging, particularly the uncertainty caused by the redraw after every round. "The thing is you don't know what to do. You don't know whether to eat a good meal or what to do—you're just waiting," he said.
Clayton analysed his performance, noting: "I think for the first five or six legs I was going good. Then I kind of stepped off the gas for some reason. I felt good, but the darts just weren't going in." He managed to close out the match, stating: "Luckily enough, I got over the line at the end." The Welshman also acknowledged a brief lapse in concentration, saying: "I think I lost a bit of concentration. It wasn't easy darts—I don't mean that—but I was trying to make it look easy, just letting them go instead of concentrating and putting them in."
Should Clayton win the tournament, he would overtake Michael van Gerwen in the rankings—a prospect that excites him. "I've been looking for him for a long, long time," Clayton said with a laugh. "I've been hunting him down." He added with respect: "Michael is obviously a fantastic player. So if I win this and get above him, great job." However, Clayton remains focused on his own game, stating: "I don't worry too much about things like that—I just want to play well and try to pick trophies up."
Clayton highlighted the unpredictable nature of the UK Open, where top players can meet early due to the open draw. "You could have the world number one and number two playing each other in the fourth or fifth round. Nobody knows who they're going to play," he said. He believes concentration is crucial: "You just have to play well. It's one of those tournaments where concentration is massive." Clayton also credited his Premier League Darts participation for keeping him sharp, noting: "In the Premier League helps because you're playing the eight in-form players every week. There's no better match practice than playing against those guys week in, week out."
Looking ahead, Clayton faces Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals and remains grounded about his chances. "Obviously I'm here to try and win the tournament," he said, adding: "You have to take what's in front of you. It'll be game by game and hopefully in the last game I can lift that trophy." He also commented on the rising standard in darts, observing: "From about the top 32 to 48 anybody can win a tournament. You watch the floor tournaments—the averages are massive and it's anybody's game."
