World number one Luke Humphries continued his defense of his World Grand Prix title with a 3-1 win over Germany’s Riccardo Pietrzko in the second round on Wednesday.
In a repeat of their thrilling World Championship match late last year, Humphries showed his class in short bursts to get the better of Pietrzko and maintain his position as favorite for the tournament after Luke Littler’s first-round exit. Claimed.
Humphries, 29, will play Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals on Friday after the Welshman beat Ross Smith 3-1.
“Ricardo played a brilliant game of darts,” declared Humphreys, who booked his place in the quarter-finals with an average of 92 and three scores of 180.
“If he had played with someone else tonight he probably would have won the game, but in the end I managed to get the win.
“Those six darts at the end of the third set were crucial. It could have been very different, but 130 after 180 won me that game.”
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Humphries’ brilliant 130 checkout helped him win the decisive third set in his World Grand Prix clash with Pietrzko.
Humphries dominated the first set, winning all three legs, but Pietrzko raised his game and broke his opponent at the end of the second set to level the match.
Pietrzko missed a dart in the D20 to break Humphreys early in the third, and the world champion punished him with a noble penalty of 112 checkouts (20, T20, D16) for stopping the throw.
A brilliant 130 checkout (T20, T20, D5) gave Humphries the decisive break to win the third set and he kept his foot on the gas pedal to win the fourth set and finished with a bullseye.
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Humphries made it to 112 to advance to the third set, a key moment in the match.
Aspinall loses to Joyce in thriller
Nathan Aspinall lost the night’s thrilling opening match 3–2 to Ryan Joyce after a shootout in the deciding leg.
Remarkably, the opening 10 went to leg throws, so the pair won one set each, before Joyce got her first break of the match at the start of the third and managed to win the set.
Joyce was on the verge of victory in the fourth set when a 114 checkout was needed in the deciding stage of the set. He hit t18 but missed a single 20, which would have left him on top.
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Aspinall breaks Joyce’s throw for the first time and forces a decisive fifth set
Aspinall gave him a brilliant finish of 89 (T19, D16) to take the match to the last set.
Leading 2–1 in the last set, ‘The Asp’ missed two match darts, so Joyce took advantage and needed the final leg.
Joyce initially missed two match darts on d6 but Aspinall could not find d18 to win the match and at the third time of asking, Joyce got d6 to oust last year’s World Matchplay champion.
“I thought I held my own pretty well in that last set,” said Joyce, who was tentatively ranked among the world top 32 for the first time.
“Nathan put a lot of pressure on me, but I’m very happy to go through it. This is a tournament I love playing in. I’m 100 per cent confident that I can win this title.”
“I have prepared well for this tournament, I am a dangerous opponent and I am going to do my best!”
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Joyce prevailed in an epic contest with Aspinall, who had missed three match darts!
Cross reached the quarterfinals for the first time
Former world champion Rob Cross booked his place in the last eight of the World Grand Prix for the first time in his career after a 3–1 victory over Martin Schindler.
Cross went ahead quickly in the first set but Schindler surprisingly won five sets in a row, but it was Cross who won the third set in the decider.
Schindler was then unable to find his best dart as Cross won the fourth set and will play Joyce in the quarterfinals on Friday.
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Cross achieved this impressive 105 finish on his way to defeating Schindler…
“I’ve had to overcome a lot of hardships and difficulties in this tournament, so to reach the quarterfinals is an amazing feeling,” Cross revealed.
“I’ve started to feel a little more comfortable at times this year, so it’s been an improvement and things are going in the right direction.
“I’m looking forward to Friday now. Ryan is a really strong finisher, and he reminds me a little bit of myself. I have to improve, but I’m going to give it my all in that game.”
looks at clayton smith
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Ross Smith made these two big checkouts in his loss to Clayton
2021 champion Jonny Clayton defeated Ross Smith in the evening’s final, despite the ‘Smudger’ making a flying start against the Welshman with checkouts of 149 and 145 in the early exchanges.
However, ‘The Ferret’ bounced back from the contest, reeling off three consecutive sets to advance to his first televised ranking quarter-final since July 2023.
What’s happening at the World Grand Prix on Thursday?
Gurney beats Van Gerwen in first round of World Grand Prix
Daryl Gurney, who defeated six-time champion Michael van Gerwen, returns to action with a second-round clash against 2023 semi-finalist Joe Cullen, who marked his return to Leicester with a superb comeback against in-form Chris Dobbie. Marked.
Gary Anderson, 2016 runner-up, takes on ‘The Flying Scotsman’ alongside Dutchman Mike de Decker, arguably the most in-form player on the circuit with the highest seasonal average than any other player on the PDC ProTour .
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Van Gerwen failed to win a leg during his first-round defeat to Gurney and Van Mardel was left appalled at the Dutchman’s board management.
Gerwyn Price continues his bid for a second double-start success when he takes on two-time winner James Wade, while two-time runner-up Dave Chisnall goes up against Belgium’s Dimitri Van den Bergh.
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