I fancy Chris Dobey to hit the ground running at this year’s World Grand Prix by overcoming Cameron Menzies in round one on Monday night. The Geordie arrowsmith has produced some strong showings in this tournament over the years, enjoying a run to the semi-finals back in 2019, and he has since reached the quarter-finals on two occasions. 

‘Hollywood’ has been ticking along quite nicely since reaching the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship for the first time at the start of this year, averaging a quietly impressive 96.78 across 2025, not to mention he sits 9th on the PDC’s 180 leaderboard, having racked up 466 maximums this year.

While Monday night's meeting with Menzies is a potential banana skin for Dobey, the Scotsman has been known to struggle with nervousness on the big stage, suffering a first round exit in Leicester last year. What’s more, I think the fact that Dobey defeated Menzies twice in the space of eight days last month could serve as a psychological advantage during this contest.

I’m expecting a strong showing from James Wade at this year’s World Grand Prix, and I think he will prove too strong for Joe Cullen on Monday night. ‘The Machine’ has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence over the last year, which has coincided with him shooting up to 5th in the PDC’s Order of Merit. 

Wade - a two-time World Grand Prix champion - has thrived on the big stage this year, finishing as runner-up to Luke Littler at both the UK Open and the World  Matchplay. The 42-year-old arrowsmith will be targeting a deep run in Leicester this week, and his recent record against Cullen augurs well for their first round clash on Monday night.

Wade made light work of Cullen on the opening night of this year's World Matchplay by cruising to a 10-3 victory, not to mention he also earned a 6-4 win when the pair crossed paths on the Euro Tour back in May. While Cullen did manage to win a Players Championship title last month, it has been another rough year for the ‘Rockstar’, whereas the same can’t be said for a rejuvenated Wade.