Luke Humphries Out; Peter Wright Eyes Third World Title

Luke Humphries the defending champion exited the PDC World Darts Championship in the fourth round losing 4-1 to Peter Wright. Wright, a two-time world champion seeded 17th, displayed his best form with a 100.93 average and a remarkable 70% checkout success. Meanwhile, Humphries, though world number one and a six-time major winner, couldn’t find his usual consistency, averaging 99.23 with a 56.3% checkout rate.

Significantly, Wright’s win signals a resurgence after a challenging year, including a poor Premier League campaign where he finished last. He remains determined to claim a third world title and will face the winner of Stephen Bunting vs. Luke Woodhouse in the quarter-finals. Elsewhere, 2021 champion Gerwyn Price defeated fellow Welshman Jonny Clayton 4-2. Price started strongly, averaging 107 in the opening sets but had to recover his rhythm after Clayton leveled the match.

Ultimately, Price secured a place in his fifth quarter-final in six years. Similarly, Callan Rydz stunned Dimitri Van den Bergh with a dominant 4-0 victory, averaging 105.31 and excelling with his scoring and finishing. Rydz a 2022 quarter-finalist will face Robert Owen next. Meanwhile, Owen a Welsh qualifier overcame Ricky Evans 4-2 in a career-best performance. In other matches, Kevin Doets produced a dramatic comeback to beat Krzysztof Ratajski 4-3.

Additionally, Jeffrey de Graaf defeated Paolo Nebrida 4-1 to set up a clash with three-time champion Michael van Gerwen. Notably, seven unseeded players reached the fourth round, matching a record for the tournament’s expanded format. Reflecting on his loss, Humphries praised Wright’s performance and vowed to return stronger in 2025.