Luke Humphries secured his place in the second round of the World Grand Prix with a 2-0 victory over Dave Chisnall, proving resilient despite a poor percentage on finishing doubles. The match, held in Leicester, saw Humphries average just 80.41 and convert only 26 percent of his double attempts, yet he still managed to outlast a below-par performance from Chisnall.
The new world number two will face Jermaine Wattimena next after Wattimena defeated fellow seed Chris Dobey. Humphries, who has reached the last three finals of this tournament winning in 2023, is now considered the standout contender following defending champion Luke Littler’s surprising first-round elimination by Luke Woodhouse earlier in the week.
Josh Rock’s campaign ended in disappointment as he fell 1-2 to Dutch debutant Niels Zonneveld. Rock had produced a stunning 151 finish following a 180 to force a deciding set, but Zonneveld capitalized on three ton-plus finishes in the third set to book a last-16 tie against Gary Anderson.
Dobey also suffered an early exit, losing 2-0 to Wattimena in what marks his third consecutive first-round defeat at the event. Despite a brief surge that included a 128 finish, Dobey struggled to find his rhythm and could not recover from burning four darts in the opening leg.
In other action, James Wade displayed his experience to come from behind and beat Joe Cullen 2-1. Wade, a two-time winner of the World Grand Prix in 2007 and 2010, overcame six missed match darts across two visits to clinch the win. He will now meet Stephen Bunting, who edged out Andrew Gilding 2-1 in the final match of the round.
Gary Anderson continued his dominant form with a 2-1 victory over Damon Heta. Anderson, who averaged 110 in the deciding set, eliminated Heta after the Australian squandered a match dart at double five. Meanwhile, Gian van Veen claimed his first-ever win at the World Grand Prix, defeating compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-0.
Van Veen completed a comeback against Ryan Searle in the next round after Searle missed four match darts while leading. William O’Connor, making his first appearance at the tournament in over a decade, pushed Searle hard with an electric run that included two double 19s for a 95 checkout, but ultimately fell short.
Did anyone else notice Wade missed six match darts and still won? Some nerves there, but his experience shone through.
Humphries winning with an 80 average and terrible doubles? That is pure darts grit. Resilience wins titles.
It is wild to think Littler is already out. The competition feels completely wide open now for the remaining players.