THE opening night of the Unibet World Grand Prix on Sunday October 1 will see reigning champion Michael van Gerwen and former World Champions Raymond van Barneveld, Adrian Lewis, Steve Beaton and Jelle Klaasen in action in Dublin.


The 32-player tournament - unique for the double-start format where all legs have to begin and end with a double - will be held from October 1-7 at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, and broadcast live on Sky Sports.


With the first round split across the opening two nights, reigning champion and top seed Van Gerwen begins his bid to win a fourth World Grand Prix title in Sunday's first eight games as he takes on John Henderson.


2015 World Grand Prix winner Robert Thornton is also in action as he faces Kim Huybrechts, while a host of other big names also take to the stage.


Five-time World Champion Van Barneveld meets Australia's Kyle Anderson, while Lewis plays Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney, Klaasen faces Dave Chisnall and Beaton meets shooting star Rob Cross.


Alan Norris plays former World Grand Prix semi-finalist Justin Pipe, while Joe Cullen meets Darren Webster.


Monday's remaining first round games include two-time World Grand Prix winner James Wade meeting Steve West and 2016 finalist Gary Anderson, the number two seed, playing debutant Richard North.


Benito van de Pas opens up against Cristo Reyes before Mervyn King takes on Ronny Huybrechts, Simon Whitlock plays Christian Kist and Unibet Champions League of Darts winner Mensur Suljovic faces Ian White.


Monday night also sees Michael Smith up against Gerwyn Price, before UK Open champion Peter Wright concludes the first round as he takes on former Dublin semi-finalist Stephen Bunting.


The second round is then split across Tuesday and Wednesday, with the quarter-finals on Thursday and semi-finals on Friday.


Saturday's final will be preceded by the Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay final between William O'Connor and Jason Cullen.


Tickets for the Unibet World Grand Prix are still available through www.ticketmaster.ie, by calling 00353 (0)1 401 0505 or via email at darts17@citywesthotel.com.


2017 Unibet World Grand Prix
Schedule of Play
Sunday October 1 (7pm)
First Round x8
Alan Norris v Justin Pipe
Joe Cullen v Darren Webster
Steve Beaton v Rob Cross
Robert Thornton v Kim Huybrechts
Raymond van Barneveld v Kyle Anderson
Adrian Lewis v Daryl Gurney
Michael van Gerwen v John Henderson
Dave Chisnall v Jelle Klaasen


Monday October 2 (7pm)
First Round x8
Benito van de Pas v Cristo Reyes
Mervyn King v Ronny Huybrechts
Steve West v James Wade
Simon Whitlock v Christian Kist
Mensur Suljovic v Ian White
Michael Smith v Gerwyn Price
Gary Anderson v Richard North
Peter Wright v Stephen Bunting


Tuesday October 3 (7pm)
Second Round x4
Chisnall/Klaasen v Thornton/K Huybrechts
Lewis/Gurney v Cullen/Webster
Van Gerwen/Henderson v Norris/Pipe
Van Barneveld/K Anderson v Beaton/Cross


Wednesday October 4 (7pm)
Second Round x4
Smith/Price v Van de Pas/Reyes
Suljovic/White v West/Wade
G Anderson/North v Whitlock/Kist
Wright/Bunting v King/R Huybrechts


Thursday October 5 (7pm)
Quarter-Finals


Friday October 6 (7pm)
Semi-Finals


Saturday October 7 (8pm)
Unibet World Grand Prix Final
Preceded by
Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay Final (approx 7.05pm)
Jason Cullen v William O'Connor


Draw Bracket
Michael van Gerwen (1) v John Henderson
Alan Norris v Justin Pipe
Raymond van Barneveld (8) v Kyle Anderson
Steve Beaton v Rob Cross
Dave Chisnall (5) v Jelle Klaasen
Robert Thornton v Kim Huybrechts
Adrian Lewis (4) v Daryl Gurney
Joe Cullen v Darren Webster
Gary Anderson (2) v Richard North
Simon Whitlock v Christian Kist
Michael Smith (7) v Gerwyn Price
Benito van de Pas v Cristo Reyes
Mensur Suljovic (6) v Ian White
Steve West v James Wade
Peter Wright (3) v Stephen Bunting
Mervyn King v Ronny Huybrechts


Format
First Round                         Best of three Sets
Second Round                   Best of five Sets
Quarter-Finals                   Best of five Sets
Semi-Finals                         Best of seven Sets
Final                                      Best of nine Sets
* All Sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any Set.
* All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
* The order of play for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be confirmed on www.pdc.tv.

MENSUR SULJOVIC claimed the first televised title of his career with a brilliant 11-9 success over Gary Anderson in the Unibet Champions League of Darts final in Cardiff on Sunday night.
 
The world number seven had won through to only his second TV final with a series of outstanding performances throughout the weekend in the BBC-televised event - despite being the 40/1 pre-tournament outsider with Unibet.
 
The 45-year-old opened the tournament with a 10-3 group stage win over Anderson and also saw off Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall to book a spot in the semi-finals.
 
There, Suljovic took out a stunning 160 checkout to seal an 11-9 win over Raymond van Barneveld as he secured his place in the decider.
 
The final proved an equally close affair, before the Austrian emotionally closed out an 11-9 victory to claim the £100,000 title.
 
Anderson - who ended Phil Taylor's title defence in the semi-finals - led 2-0 and 3-1 before Suljovic took out 116 and 118 in a run of five successive legs to move 6-3 up.
 
Anderson then took three in a row to level at six-all, finished an 11-darter to square the game in the 16th leg and took out 80 with two double tops in leg 18 as the final went to a three-leg shoot-out.
 
His favourite double 14 moved Suljovic 9-8 up, before three missed doubles from Anderson allowed his rival back in to seal victory by hitting the same bed.
 
Suljovic's fairytale story comes only weeks after the birth of his second child, a daughter Ema, and saw the Serbian-born ace emotionally drop to his knees on stage as he celebrated the success.
 
"I feel perfect," said Suljovic. "I never thought I could win this tournament.
 
"Gary is a brilliant player, a gentleman and I've got so much respect for him but I played well and I never gave up. I played well and was focused on my game but I never thought I could beat Gary twice.
 
"I couldn't dream of being in the semi-finals but I gave it my best and fought so hard. I was so happy to get to the final against the best players in the world."
 
Anderson had bounced back from his opening loss to Suljovic by overcoming Dave Chisnall on Saturday night before surviving eight missed match darts from Peter Wright in their Sunday afternoon shoot-out to claim a semi-final place with a 10-9 triumph.
 
He then ended Taylor's title defence at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff with an 11-6 triumph in the last four, with the reigning champion taking out 102 and 121 in the opening two legs only to see Anderson win eight in a row on his way to victory.
 
However, Suljovic again enjoyed victory as he denied Anderson the £100,000 title, with the Scot admitting: "Mensur has been brilliant and you can see how much it means to him.
 
"He's been phenomenal for the last two years and he's been the best player this weekend. He deserves it - he's been the player of the tournament and smashed the lot of us.
 
"It's been a great event. It's a couple of weeks since I won in Perth and I got better as the event went on. I struggled against Mensur, then played better on Saturday evening and played well today.
 
"I did alright in the final and I'd have loved to have made it ten-all and then see what happened in the last leg, but I had three clear darts at double ten and made a complete mess of it, so we'll never know."
 
Taylor had topped Group A after defeating World Champion Michael van Gerwen 10-9 in their decisive final round-robin fixture, coming from 2-0 down to book his spot in the last four.
 
However, Anderson proved too strong as he won their repeat of the 2015 World Championship final.
 
"I've enjoyed the whole weekend but I didn't have the energy levels to beat Gary," admitted Taylor. "It's great to play one game per day, but this is gruelling for me.
 
"Gary seemed to follow me in but I missed a few doubles and the one I've learned over the years with Gary is that you've got to put him under pressure and I couldn't - I didn't have the energy.
 
"I was trying so hard but it didn't seem to go in. I've loved it in Cardiff and it's been a great event."
 
The third staging of the Unibet Champions League of Darts will take place on September 22-23 2018, live on BBC Sport.
Unibet Champions League of Darts
Sunday September 17
Afternoon Session
Final Group Matches
Dave Chisnall 5-10 Mensur Suljovic - Mensur Suljovic qualifies as Group B winner
Gary Anderson 10-9 Peter Wright - Gary Anderson qualifies as Group B runner-up
Adrian Lewis 2-10 Raymond van Barneveld - Raymond van Barneveld qualifies as Group A runner-up
Michael van Gerwen 9-10 Phil Taylor - Phil Taylor qualifies as Group A winner
Evening Session
Semi-Finals
Mensur Suljovic 11-9 Raymond van Barneveld
Gary Anderson 11-6 Phil Taylor

Final
Mensur Suljovic 11-9 Gary Anderson


Final League Tables

Group A
 PWL+/-Pts
Phil Taylor (Q)330+86
Raymond van Barneveld (Q)321+94
Michael van Gerwen31202
Adrian Lewis303-170
 
Group B
 PWL+/-Pts
Mensur Suljovic (Q)330+146
Gary Anderson (Q)321-34
Peter Wright312+22
Dave Chisnall303-130

MENSUR SULJOVIC became the first player to qualify for the Unibet Champions League of Darts semi-finals as Phil Taylor began his title defence in Cardiff with two victories on Saturday.
 
Suljovic enjoyed one of the most memorable days of his career as he defeated both Gary Anderson and Peter Wright to become the first player to book a last four spot in Cardiff on his Champions League debut.
 
The Austrian stormed into a 6-0 lead in his opener against two-time World Champion Anderson, with the Scot claiming three legs out of four in mid-match before Suljovic landed a brilliant 157 checkout as he closed out a 10-3 success.
 
He then returned to the stage in the evening session to defeat UK Open champion Wright 10-8, averaging 102.77 as he claimed his second win of the day to seal his semi-final berth.
 
Suljovic took out an early 105 finish to lead 3-2, and then won three in a row to move 6-3 up before defying Wright's fightback - as a 144 checkout levelled at eight-all - to hold his nerve in taking victory.
 
"I'm so happy," said Suljovic. "I played well today and to beat Gary Anderson and Peter Wright is a big moment in my career.
 
"I played a very focused game against Peter Wright but first to ten legs is a good format and I was concentrated. It's a long tournament but anything could happen on Sunday - I'm just a normal player but I'm playing well."
 
Wright and Anderson now face a shoot-out on Sunday afternoon to determine who joins Suljovic in the semi-finals from Group B, after both claimed wins over Dave Chisnall to eliminate the world number six.
 
Wright was a 10-5 winner in the tournament's opening fixture as the world number three averaged over 101 and hit six 180s in a strong performance.
 
Anderson later also averaged over 101 as he defeated the St Helens man 10-7 to get his challenge back on track, with Chisnall never able to level after falling 3-1 down early on before the Scot sealed victory with a 124 bull finish.
 
Group A is heading for a dramatic conclusion on Sunday afternoon, with reigning champion Phil Taylor claiming victories over Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld on Saturday to put one foot into the semi-finals.
 
Taylor defied finishes of 140 and 104 from Lewis as he came from 7-5 down to claim a 10-7 win over his Stoke rival in their Motorpoint Arena opener.
 
The 16-time World Champion also had to hit back from behind against Van Barneveld, with a 120 checkout levelling in leg eight before he won four of the game's final legs to complete a 10-6 triumph.
 
Taylor, though, could still be knocked out on Sunday afternoon should he be defeated by Van Gerwen in their final group game - with all four players in Group A still able to qualify for the semi-finals.
 
"I've done well today," said Taylor. "To win two games today in a group with Adrian, Barney and Michael is unbelievable and I want  to carry it on tomorrow when I play Michael.
 
"I'm really looking forward to my next game. It's a big day on Sunday but I'm only focusing on the game against Michael at the moment."
 
Van Gerwen was defeated 10-5 by Van Barneveld in their opening fixture, as the five-time World Champion took out finishes of 120, 136 and 130 on his way to victory.
 
However, the reigning World Champion and world number one bounced back with a 10-4 win in his evening session match with Lewis, who landed an early 170 finish but saw Van Gerwen pull clear from 4-3 to seal a key win.
 
"I had to bounce back because otherwise I was out of the tournament, and I'm glad I did that," said Van Gerwen. "I can't really explain the first loss - things like that happen - but I played well tonight.
 
"I missed too many chances against Raymond but I was a lot more comfortable against Adrian, who wasn't close to his best form.
 
"It will be really difficult against Phil and I need to make sure I win and show everyone what I can do. Tomorrow is a totally different day but I will prepare myself because it will be tough.
 
"I'm looking forward to it. It's a long tournament and I want to win it, but I think I'm in a lovely position at the moment."
 
The results mean that there are two scenarios where there could be a three-player nine-dart shoot-out on stage to determine which players progress from Group A.
 
Wins by a 10-7 scoreline for Van Barneveld against Lewis and Van Gerwen against Taylor would leave the two Dutchmen and Taylor tied on four points and +4 leg difference, meaning that two players would progress from the nine-dart shoot-out.
 
A 10-5 win for Lewis over Van Barneveld, coupled with a 10-5 win for Taylor against Van Gerwen would see Taylor qualify automatically with his three rivals then facing a nine-dart shoot-out for the second semi-final spot.
 
Taylor, though, would qualify for the semi-finals if he wins eight legs against Van Gerwen as the 57-year-old seeks to successfully defend his title in the £250,000 BBC-televised tournament.
 
Sunday sees the final group games take place in the afternoon session, with the event culminating with the semi-finals and final in the evening session.
 
Tickets are available at the Motorpoint Arena Box Office on the day.
 
Unibet Champions League of Darts
Saturday September 16
Afternoon Session
First Group Matches
Peter Wright 10-5 Dave Chisnall (B)
Mensur Suljovic 10-3 Gary Anderson (B)
Phil Taylor 10-7 Adrian Lewis (A)
Raymond van Barneveld 10-5 Michael van Gerwen (A)
 
Evening Session
Second Group Matches
Gary Anderson 10-7 Dave Chisnall
Peter Wright 8-10 Mensur Suljovic
Phil Taylor 10-6 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 10-4 Adrian Lewis
 
Sunday September 17
Afternoon Session (1pm)
Final Group Matches
Dave Chisnall v Mensur Suljovic
Gary Anderson v Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis v Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen v Phil Taylor
 
Evening Session (6.30pm)
Semi-Finals
Final
 
GROUP TABLES
Group A
 PWL+/-Pts
Phil Taylor220+74
Raymond van Barneveld211+12
Michael van Gerwen211+12
Adrian Lewis202-90
 
Group B
 PWL+/-Pts
Mensur Suljovic (Q)220+94
Peter Wright211+32
Gary Anderson211-42
Dave Chisnall202-80
 
Two points awarded per win. No points for a defeat.
Top two players from each group progress to semi‐finals.
Any ties for Points decided by Leg Difference then:
‐ If two players are tied for Points and Leg Difference, then the winner of the group match between the players will be deemed to be the higher‐placed player.
‐ If three players are tied for Points and Leg Difference, then a nine‐dart shoot‐out will be played between the players on stage to determine placings.