MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will begin his defence of the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals title against either Gerwyn Price or Steve Beaton when the £155,000 tournament begins at Glasgow's Braehead Arena on Saturday November 5.
Dutch star van Gerwen claimed a thrilling 11-10 win over Peter Wright in last year's inaugural World Series Finals, which are the culmination of the annual worldwide tour.
The World Series has seen events held in Dubai, Auckland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Perth this year, with van Gerwen topping the rankings after his two victories and runs to three other finals.
The Dutchman will face either Wales' emerging star Price or former World Champion Beaton on Saturday night, with that pair facing off in the afternoon's opening session in Glasgow.
Joe Cullen and Joe Murnan will play off for the right to take on World Champion Gary Anderson - who is seeded second after winning three World Series events this year - while either Mensur Suljovic or Robert Thornton will meet Phil Taylor.
Last year's beaten finalist Wright will come up against either Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney or emerging English ace Josh Payne, who won his first senior PDC title earlier this year.
Dutchman Jelle Klaasen or Belgium's Kim Huybrechts will take on Perth Darts Masters runner-up Dave Chisnall, while either Germany's Max Hopp or Spain's Cristo Reyes take on Adrian Lewis, who was the runner-up in Auckland.
Either Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan or Australian ace Simon Whitlock will play Raymond van Barneveld, while Dutch youngster Benito van de Pas or former World Youth Champion Michael Smith lay in wait for Shanghai finalist James Wade.
The tournament - broadcast live on ITV4 - the concludes on Sunday, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session and the semi-finals and final in the evening session.
Tickets for the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals are available now from the Braehead Arena Box Office by calling 0844 499 1700 or online via www.ticketmaster.co.uk .
Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals
Draw Bracket
|
Michael van Gerwen (1) |
V |
Gerwyn Price or Steve Beaton |
|
Raymond van Barneveld (8) |
V |
Brendan Dolan or Simon Whitlock |
|
Adrian Lewis (5) |
V |
Max Hopp or Cristo Reyes |
|
Dave Chisnall (4) |
V |
Jelle Klaasen or Kim Huybrechts |
|
Gary Anderson (2) |
V |
Joe Murnan or Joe Cullen |
|
Peter Wright (7) |
V |
Daryl Gurney or Josh Payne |
|
James Wade (6) |
V |
Benito van de Pas or Michael Smith |
|
Phil Taylor (3) |
V |
Mensur Suljovic or Robert Thornton |
First Round Draw
Gerwyn Price v Steve Beaton
Brendan Dolan v Simon Whitlock
Max Hopp v Cristo Reyes
Jelle Klaasen v Kim Huybrechts
Joe Murnan v Joe Cullen
Daryl Gurney v Josh Payne
Benito van de Pas v Michael Smith
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Thornton
The schedule of play will be announced in due course.