Nathan Aspinall insists he’s on ‘cloud nine’ as he prepares to renew his rivalry with Dutch number two Danny Noppert for a place in the Betfred World Matchplay quarter-finals on Tuesday night.
Aspinall and Noppert have already met four times on the PDC European Tour in 2023, and the pair will now battle it out at the Winter Gardens, as the second round action gets underway in Blackpool.
Noppert defied a late scare to see off Martin Schindler in his opener, while Aspinall fired in eight 180s to defeat Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski in quality contest.
“I couldn’t have wished for a better start to the World Matchplay,” claimed Aspinall, who has won his last two meetings against 2022 semi-finalist Noppert.
“Me and Danny get on really well. He’s a fantastic guy and a family man like myself.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Danny. We always have fantastic games, and in my opinion he’s one of the most underrated players in the world.
“You don’t win the UK Open if you’re not a quality player, but I fancy the job. It’s going to be tough but if I produce my A-game I believe I will come through.”
Aspinall is bidding to reach his third consecutive quarter-final at the World Matchplay, having lost out to Michael van Gerwen at the last eight stage in each of the last two years.
However, with Van Gerwen out of the equation this year, Aspinall has his sights set on going all the way at the Empress Ballroom, as he eyes a first TV ranking title since March 2019.
“The World Matchplay is the best tournament in the calendar for me,” added Aspinall, who will play World Champion Michael Smith or Masters champion Chris Dobey if he overcomes Noppert.
“I know what it’s like when I walk out in Blackpool. The crowd love me and I love them. It’s always a fantastic atmosphere.
“I’m really happy with my game. I’m very, very focused this week and I’m hoping for a fantastic run.”
Aspinall is back amongst the elite following a terrific 2022 campaign, which saw him claim two ProTour titles and reach televised finals at the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.
He was subsequently rewarded with a Premier League Darts recall in 2023, and despite narrowly missing out on Play-Off qualification, he believes he’s on the cusp of achieving something special.
“I know that something good is going to happen,” vowed the Stockport star, who celebrated his 32nd birthday on Saturday.
“I feel like I’m on cloud nine at the moment, and when Nathan is happy, he’s pretty good at this game!
“I’m in a good place mentally. I spent my whole childhood in Blackpool, I have fantastic support here, and I’ve got all my family with me, so why can’t I win this title?”
Aspinall and Noppert’s clash is one of four second round ties taking place in Blackpool on Tuesday night, with world number one Smith and Dobey also locking horns in a blockbuster tie.
Smith, who brushed aside Steve Beaton in his opener, is bidding to join an exclusive group by winning World Championship and World Matchplay titles in the same calendar year.
However, the St Helens star faces a tough test against Dobey, who fired in eight 180s during his thrilling 10-8 victory over 2007 winner James Wade, to clinch his first victory on the famous Winter Gardens stage.
Elsewhere, last year’s runner-up Gerwyn Price – the 11/4 favourite with title sponsor Betfred – faces 2018 quarter-finalist Joe Cullen in another mouth-watering showdown.
Cullen averaged almost 101 to defeat Belgian debutant Mike De Decker in the tournament’s curtain-raiser, while Price reeled off seven straight legs to complete a 10-3 rout of Stephen Bunting.
2018 champion Gary Anderson will kick off the second round action against two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney, after the pair dumped out seeded duo Dave Chisnall and Rob Cross in round one.
Gurney overcame Anderson in the first round of last year’s tournament, but the resurgent Scot will be looking to avenge that defeat as he continues his pursuit of a first individual TV title since September 2018.
The Betfred World Matchplay will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2023 Betfred World Matchplay
Tuesday July 18 (1900 BST)
4x Second Round
Daryl Gurney v Gary Anderson
Danny Noppert v Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price v Joe Cullen
Michael Smith v Chris Dobey