He has a lot of fans, but the monster is coming!

Later in the evening Leonard Gates returns to the Alexandra Palace stage for a second round battle Nathan Aspinall. Even though he didn’t show his best skills in defeat Cameron Menzies in an emotional first-round competition, Gates is very confident.

“It feels great to come back and get through the first round,” Gates says PDC. “The energy and atmosphere is probably even better than the last time I was here. It’s phenomenal. I really can’t explain what this support means. You feel this energy in your body, which is a great motivation for me.”

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The 54-year-old made his first appearance at Alexandra during the 2023 edition, giving Stephen Bunting a test before losing in the second round. He has since cleared titles in North America and on the Seniors Tour. However, Gates knows that against two-time major winner Aspinall, he will likely have to raise his level from the 82.96 average he showed in his first-round victory.

“I think I’ve improved a lot over the last few years,” he insists confidently. “My performance against [Cameron] it doesn’t show what I did back home in the States. I’m in good shape, everyone tells me I’m in good shape and I want to keep it that way. It’s like a snowball rolling down a hill, building, building, building.”

‘Soulger’ has also become a crowd favorite at Alexandra Palace, but he will face one of the best-supported players on tour against Aspinall. “I’m just going to focus and play my part because I definitely know what Nathan can do, and if you lose focus, he’s going to destroy you,” Gates said. “Nathan has a lot of support. He has a lot of fans, but the monster is coming!”