Luke Humphries: Advances to World Matchplay Quarter-Finals

Luke Humphries faced a tough challenge from Stephen Bunting but managed to secure his spot in the World Matchplay quarter-finals with an 11-7 victory. Despite twice falling behind on break of throws, Luke Humphries responded quickly each time and finished strong with an impressive average of 102.34. Bunting, the Masters champion, put up a spirited performance, hitting six 180s, but his missed opportunities on the doubles proved costly.

In other matches, fourth seed Gerwyn Price suffered an 11-9 defeat to Ross Smith in a thrilling second-round encounter. Smith, seeded 13th, rallied from an 8-6 deficit with a stellar display including 13 maximum scores, to advance to the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, James Wade secured his place in the last eight with an 11-8 victory over Nathan Aspinall.

Wade, a former World Matchplay champion in 2007, took an early 4-0 lead and maintained his advantage despite Aspinall’s efforts to recover. Dimitri Van den Bergh also progressed with an 11-5 win over Jonny Clayton, showcasing his form in the tournament. Notably, Michael van Gerwen eliminated Luke Littler in the first round while Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall were also knocked out early at the Winter Gardens.

Looking ahead, the World Matchplay continues with intriguing second-round fixtures including Krzysztof Ratajski versus Andrew Gilding, Rob Cross against Ryan Searle, Michael van Gerwen facing Joe Cullen, and Michael Smith taking on Chris Dobey. The competition promises more excitement and intense battles as players vie for supremacy in one of darts’ premier events.