Luke Humphries stunned Gerwyn Price in the final of the World Grand Prix last Sunday and the buzzing Englishman is back in action this weekend in the German Darts Championship.
Humphries went into the Grand Prix final as a big outsider against former world champion Price, but Cool Hand Luke won his first major title in fine style, romping to a 5-2 success in Leicester.
Humphries declared “the world is my oyster” after finally breaking his duck in a televised ranking event and banking a cheque for £120,000. His next mission is the German Darts Championship and he will start the event as the No. 3 seed.
There have been 13 different winners of premier televised events in the last two years, so lesser-lights have been making their presence felt on the PDC circuit.
What | German Darts Championship |
Where | Halle 39, Hildesheim, Germany |
When | Friday, 13th October to Sunday, 15th October, 2023 |
How to watch | PDCTV & Viaplay |
Humphries seems to feel invincible after his World Grand Prix heroics and there seems every chance he claims more silverware quickly.
The 28-year-old completed the Grand Prix with a brilliant 138 checkout and averaged 100.47 across the final six sets – a phenomenal effort considering the double-in format of that tournament.
Humphries lost just four sets in the Grand Prix, performing strongly from the moment he set foot in the Morningside Arena, and he saw off some tough opponents like Daryl Gurney, Peter Wright and Joe Cullen before meeting Price in the final.
The Newbury-born arrowsmith, who has one of the smoothest actions in the game, was emotional after his triumph, explaining that his next goal is to become world number one, plus become a world champion. He moved fourth in the PDC Order of Merit after the Grand Prix.
Price was a flopping favourite in the World Grand Prix final and the Welshman will be keen to get back to winning ways in Germany.
The Welshman was stunned by the Humphries onslaught in Leicester and the Iceman will be eager for revenge should they meet in Hildesheim this weekend. Should both men win their early matches this weekend, they will meet in the semi-finals.
Price could be set for a third-round meeting with Joe Cullen, with World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall potentially waiting in the quarter-finals.
The 38-year-old beat world champion Michael Smith in the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, so fears nobody. Aside from the World Cup of Darts, though, this has been a season of disappointment for Price as he also lost in the Premier League final.
Price will probably be pleased to be housed in the bottom half of the German Darts Championship draw – it seems the easier section – but Michael van Gerwen could have a tougher route to the final.
The Dutchman has Michael Smith in his half and would meet Bully Boy in the semi-finals should they both progress that far.
MVG was hugely disappointing in the second round of the World Grand Prix. Having greatly impressed in round one, seeing off rising star Josh Rock with a 95.74 average, Van Gerwen exited the tournament next time out. Missed doubles cost him and he was defeated 3-2 by Chris Dobey.
Van Gerwen has won plenty of titles this year, including the Premier League and the World Series of Darts Finals, but he has thrown in some stinkers too, so punters will be wondering what version of Mighty Mike will turn up in Germany. Jonny Clayton could be a tricky third-round opponent.
Dave Chisnall is the No. 1 seed in Germany this week, courtesy of his red-hot form on the PDC ProTour, and the popular Englishman will be fancying his chances of strongly contending for another trophy.
Chisnall had a bad Grand Prix, dumped out in round one by Luke Woodhouse, but prior to that Chizzy was in sublime nick on the PDC circuit. He beat Humphries 8-3 in the final of a Players Championship in Barnsley at the end of September.
Chisnall could face Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals this weekend, but he will fear nobody in his current mood.
Like Tyson Fury, Chisnall lives in Morecambe, and this prolific 180-hitter could be set to land some knockout punches at the oche this weekend.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
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