The schedule of play for the World Grand Prix first round has been confirmed ahead of Sunday's opening night of the double-start event in Leicester; the Morningside Arena hosts the event as 32 players compete for the prestigious title, which was won in 2020 by Gerwyn Price
Tuesday 28 September 2021 14:32, UK
Gerwyn Price will open the defence of his World Grand Prix title against Michael Smith on a blockbuster first night of action in Leicester.
World No 1 Price is amongst the stars in action on Sunday, October 3 - live on Sky Sports with the Welshman facing Michael Smith in a tasty tungsten tie.
The opening night features Price's rivals in the top half of the draw, including two-time World Grand Prix winner James Wade's meeting with Damon Heta and Van den Bergh's tie with Ryan Searle.
Daryl Gurney, the 2017 World Grand Prix winner, plays Stephen Bunting, and former finalists Dave Chisnall, Mervyn King and Dirk van Duijvenbode are also in action.
The first round concludes on Monday, with five-time World Grand Prix champion Michael van Gerwen playing Danny Noppert in an all-Dutch tie.
World Matchplay champion Peter Wright plays Rob Cross, reigning Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa meets Glen Durrant and Premier League winner Jonny Clayton plays Callan Rydz.
Monday's ties also feature history-maker Brendan Dolan, two-time World Champion Gary Anderson and Premier League star Nathan Aspinall.
World Grand Prix - Schedule of Play
Sunday October 3 (1800 BST)
8x First Round
Martijn Kleermaker vs Mervyn King
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Luke Humphries
Stephen Bunting vs Daryl Gurney
Dave Chisnall vs Mensur Suljovic
Joe Cullen vs Ross Smith
James Wade vs Damon Heta
Gerwyn Price vs Michael Smith
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Ryan Searle
Monday October 4 (1800 BST)
8x First Round
Darius Labanauskas vs Brendan Dolan
Callan Rydz vs Jonny Clayton
Vincent van der Voort vs Gabriel Clemens
Nathan Aspinall vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Gary Anderson vs Ian White
Peter Wright vs Rob Cross
Michael van Gerwen vs Danny Noppert
Jose de Sousa vs Glen Durrant
Tuesday October 5 (1900 BST)
4x Second Round
Wednesday October 6 (1900 BST)
4x Second Round
Thursday October 7 (1900 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Friday October 8 (1900 BST)
Semi-Finals
Saturday October 9 (2030 BST)
Final
The schedule of play for Tuesday onwards will be confirmed during the World Grand Prix.
Format
First Round - Best of three sets
Second Round - Best of five sets
Quarter-Finals - Best of five sets
Semi-Final - Best of seven sets
Final - Best of nine sets
Darts is back on your Sky Sports screens when the World Grand Prix gets underway - join us for coverage from the Morningside Arena, starting on Sunday, October 3. Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts