Luke Humphries Defeats Jonny Clayton in Thrilling Quarter-Final

Luke Humphries the defending champion defeated 2021 winner Jonny Clayton 3-1 to advance to the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester. Humphries, the world number one, began the match strongly but faced a setback when Clayton leveled the score at 1-1. The turning point came in the third set where Humphries made an impressive 146 checkout after trailing by two legs, ultimately securing his victory.

After the match, Luke Humphries shared his nerves during the game, stating, “That’s the most nervous I have felt in a long, long time. It is hard playing your friends, but I just felt nervous; it is really not like me.” He acknowledged the pressure to win again and noted, “Sometimes you have to ride your luck.” Humphries now looks ahead to facing Ryan Joyce in the semi-finals.

Joyce secured his place with a thrilling 3-2 victory over fourth seed Rob Cross, who had previously won the World Championship in 2018. Joyce capitalized on his opponent’s missed opportunities to clinch his first appearance in the semi-finals. In another match, Belgium’s Mike de Decker achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory over two-time champion James Wade in the opening contest on Friday.

Each set was highly competitive, going to a deciding leg. De Decker will meet Dimitri van den Bergh in the next round with Van den Bergh advancing smoothly past Joe Cullen with a 3-1 win. The semi-finals promise exciting matchups with players striving for a place in the finals.