By Ryan Segal
Henry Coates has said that “focus” is the key to a run at the UK Open.
The 19 year old starlet from Derbyshire has continued his rise up the darting pyramid in recent years, firmly establishing himself as one the sport's hottest properties.
He's won Modus Super Series titles, and earned a plethora of Pro Tour appearances through his work on the Challenge Tour.
Ahead of the trip to Minehead, he reflected on what he describes as a positive start to the year:
“I had a good start at Q-School, but didn't manage to get my card.
I then had a good first Challenge Tour, and got to a semi-final - before heading straight down to the Modus Super Series where I got to the final.
So I've had a good start to the year.”
This is Henry's second appearance in the event, having made his debut in the 2025 iteration.
The experience, he says, is a big boost going into the most hectic weekend of the calendar – particularly when it comes to the format: “I think the key with the format is that you focus on the next game all the time.
So no matter whether it's overnight or an hour's time, you're still going to have the same focus going into every game.
I had the experience of it last year as well.
I went into it a bag of nerves.
But this year, with more experience under my belt, I'll hopefully be totally different.”
He's optimistic about his chances – but knows the challenge that lays ahead:
“Hopefully my darts will fly well.
It's all hard work at the end of the day. I'm there for a reason, and so is everyone else.
There's no reason why I can't have a good run, maybe win three or four games.
It's all just how it goes on the day.”
Henry gets his campaign underway against Neil Wild on Stage 8 this coming Friday – You can shop his signature Phase 2 Darts here.
