The Grand Slam of Darts is one of the biggest banana skins on the PDC Tour and there have been plenty of surprises.
From Anastasia Dobromyslova beating Vincent van der Voort in 2009, to Steve Beaton ending Phil Taylor’s reign of terror in 2010, the round-robin event always throws up surprises.
With this PDC season being one of the more inconsistent, there could be many unexpected events at the Wolverhampton tournament.
Here are five surprises that could happen at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Group H winner wins the Grand Slam
On paper, Group H looks by far the most competitive – and exciting – group at the Wolverhampton event with four top-quality players in good form.
Stephen Bunting is the seed of the event after his Masters win in February, with The Bullet in decent form despite not capturing another trophy this term.
Bunting will be testing his mettle against three young hotshots with every chance of doing well in the tournament.
Josh Rock, fresh from his third PDC title of the year on the Pro Tour, is always a tough test, while Wessel Nijman picked up his first PDC title on the Pro Tour in October.
Rounding off the group is 22-year-old Gian Van Veen, who reached the last 16 of the UK Open this year.
This group is stacked with raw talent and whoever tops the group will be a firm favourite for the crown.
Michael Smith doesn’t qualify from Group E
Michael Smith has been in torrid form for much of the year and it doesn’t get any easier at the Grand Slam.
Smith has been drawn against World Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker, European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena, and Mensur Suljovic.
With his downturn in form and Wattimena and De Decker riding high after successful tournaments, Smith could find it difficult to escape Group E.
Beau Greaves beats Danny Noppert
Danny Noppert has failed to set the world alight at the back end of 2024 and will be disappointed not to claim the European Championship after being the highest-ranked player left in the tournament.
The Dutchman has been grouped with Beau Greaves, who has proved she is a strong test in this tournament before.
Greaves defeated Ricardo Pietreczko 5-1 in the group stages of the Grand Slam this time last year and there’s every chance she will repeat the feat against Noppert.
Connor Scutt finishes top of Group D
Ranked at World No. 83, Scutt is one of the lowest-ranked players in the Grand Slam but he’ll be buzzing after regaining his PDC Tour Card by topping the Challenge Tour.
Matt Edgar named Connor Scutt as ‘one to watch’ at the Grand Slam and he’ll certainly give Dave Chisnall, Ross Smith, and Ritchie Edhouse tough games in Group D.
With a decent start in his opening games against Chisnall, Scutt could qualify from his group in the top position.
Martin Lukeman qualifies from Group C
Rob Cross is the easy favourite to claim top spot of Group C, but with Peter Wright’s form as inconsistent as ever, Martin Lukeman will be eyeing up that second spot.
Lukeman reached the quarterfinals of the UK Open this year and can be tricky opposition for anyone on his day.
His match with Wright is crucial for his chances of making it to the knockout stages of the Wolverhampton event.