PDC Dartswill be headed to the Big Apple in New York in just a few days, with some of the biggest names in the sport looking to take home another title.
The two-day tournament will consist of a mix of top PDC international players, taking on the North American qualifiers.
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Predictions for U.S. Darts Masters
Here's the list of players competing on Friday in the round of 16:
- Luke Humphries
- Luke Littler (4)
- Michael van Gerwen
- Stephen Bunting (1)
- Rob Cross (2)
- Gerwyn Price (3)
- Damon Heta
- Nathan Aspinall
- Matt Campbell
- Jim Long
- Danny Lauby
- Jules van Dongen
- Leonard Gates
- Adam Sevada
- Jason Brandon
- Stowe Buntz
You've got some PDC WC winners on the list as well as some American and Canadian underdogs.
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What North Americans could pull off an upset?
Each North American player is matched up with an international qualifier in the round of 16 once the draw takes place.
It's usually tough for a player from the region a tournament is held in to go through to the quarterfinals, especially at the U.S. Darts Masters.
We did see Canada's Jeff Smith upset Michael Smith in a match last year, so it is possible.
United States' Leonard Gates could be the latest player to force an upset if he gets a friendly draw, as he beat Cameron Menzies in the first round of the 2025 PDC WC.
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Gates was able to win a set against Nathan Aspinall in the following round as well.
Matt Campbell is another name to watch out for, as one of the 'regulars' on the main tour this year, out of the North Americans competing this weekend.
He recently won three games in a row at the European Darts Open, beating Alan Soutar, Ross Smith and James Wade (narrowly lost in QF to Damon Heta 5-6).
At the end of April, he also picked up a win against Stephen Bunting, who is another name that he could compete against on Friday.
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Who will go the farthest out of the PDC international representatives?
Stephen Bunting enters the tournament as the one seed since he's been phenomenal at World Series of Darts events in 2025.
We don't know yet who his round of 16 matchup is, or who he could play in a potential quarterfinal, but the bracket has him matching up with Luke Littler in the semifinal if they both make it there.
It's easy to say that Littler will go all the way, but being a fan favorite and getting an opportunity to play in New York after a rough showing at the World Cup of Darts could mean a bounce-back weekend for The Nuke.
Michael van Gerwen is not seeded in this tournament, but could return to good form after taking some much-needed time off from darts.
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Gerwyn Price should be able to make a deep run this tournament as well, coming off a final appearance in New York in 2024, where he lost a last-leg decider to Rob Cross.
It's a toss-up otherwise with the best-of-11-leg format in the opening two rounds.
Upsets can happen, but it would be a surprise not to see a PDC representative win the tournament.
Regarding who does lift the trophy Saturday night, I think it can be anyone from Littler to Humphries or even Price or van Gerwen.
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