The battle for Welsh supremacy and a coveted spot in the World Grand Prix semi‑finals will unfold on Friday night in Leicester, where Gerwyn Price squares off against Jonny Clayton. Both men are eager to claim the bragging rights that come with being the top Welsh player, and the winner will also secure a place in the next round of the tournament. Price, who sits fourth in the PDC Order of Merit, currently holds a one‑point advantage over his compatriot. A victory would widen that gap and reinforce his status as Wales' leading darts star.
For Clayton, the stakes are equally high. He is fighting not only to progress in the Grand Prix but also to keep his hopes alive for a spot in the Grand Slam of Darts in November.
Should he triumph over Price and then go on to lift the Grand Prix trophy on Sunday, he would overtake the "Iceman" as the highest‑ranked Welshman. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event from 7 p.m.
on Friday, alongside three other first‑round fixtures: Nathan Aspinall versus Ryan Joyce, Luke Humphries versus Niels Zonneveld, and Gian van Veen versus James Wade. Viewers are advised to use the Chrome browser for the most accessible video player experience. Historically, Price has the edge in their head‑to‑head record, leading 30‑15 overall.
Their most recent encounter was a semi‑final at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam earlier this month, where Price prevailed 11‑7. However, the Welsh rivalry has its moments of reversal.
In the 2021 World Grand Prix final, Clayton delivered a dominant 5‑1 victory, leaving Price "smashed up," as he described it. Price, a two‑time World Cup champion alongside Clayton in 2020 and 2023, acknowledges his opponent’s potential. "I know how good Jonny can play, I know how bad he can play. I know how good and how bad I can play," he said.
"I just need to take my opportunities. If I can start well, score in between and put Jonny under pressure, I think I will come through but it's going to be a real tough one. It's special for Wales regardless of who wins the game.
We're going to have a Welshman in the semi‑final of another massive major." Clayton responded with good‑natured banter, noting the friendly rivalry: "There's banter between me and Gezzy. Every time he gets to Welsh No 1, he sends me a flag with a No 1 on it. We're good friends, world number 4 and 5. You can't fault that from Wales!" He entered the match after a hard‑fought 2‑1 win over Krzysztof Ratajski, a result Price jokingly called "lucky" for his fellow countryman.
Clayton then produced several high‑checkout finishes, including three in the opening set, before dispatching the rising Dutchman Wessel Nijman 3‑1. Price, meanwhile, has not yet dropped a set in this year's Grand Prix. He opened with a clean 2‑0 sweep of Sebastian Bialecki and followed it with a 3‑0 demolition of Ross Smith, avenging a recent loss to "Smudger" in the World Series final held in the Netherlands. The all‑Welsh clash is part of a busy Friday programme that also features Luke Humphries versus Niels Zonneveld, James Wade versus Gian van Veen, and Nathan Aspinall versus Ryan Joyce.
Zonneveld, currently the lowest‑ranked competitor remaining at world No 35, has already upset higher‑profile players such as Josh Rock and Gary Anderson. Humphries, seeded second and aiming for a second Grand Prix crown after his 2023 triumph, warned against underestimating his Dutch opponent. "One thing this tournament teaches you is not to take anyone for granted. If I think because Niels is whatever ranking he is that I'm going to win the game easy, I will fail.
He's playing good darts and could be the Mike De Decker story. I will treat him with the respect I would give every player, the respect he deserves," Humphries explained. Humphries also reflected on the significance of winning his first major since the 2025 Premier League, adding, "When you have experienced that achievement of winning a lot and then it all goes away for 12 months, when you get that experience of winning again it feels even sweeter.
I have worked really hard over the last 12 months and not got the rewards so winning would do me good, boost my confidence. Because I'm not picking up one or two majors a year, people think you are not as good as you used to be but I feel I am playing better than ever.
I still feel there is another level in me. I'm just trying to find where that comes from." On the other side of the draw, Ryan Joyce is viewed as an underdog alongside Zonneveld. Joyce's recent quarter‑final performance saw him hit eight 180s in a dominant display against Nathan Aspinall, who had previously eliminated Luke Littler's conqueror Luke Woodhouse. Joyce, a specialist on double 16, believes the double‑in, double‑out format of the Grand Prix offers his best chance at a major title.
He reached the semi‑finals in 2024 before being ousted by Humphries. Joyce also shared an unusual source of motivation: artificial intelligence. After consulting ChatGPT for tips ahead of a big match, he discovered that the advice largely mirrored his own long‑standing habits.
"The AI programme gave me a list of lots of different things to do, and I thought to myself, 'well, actually, I already do most of that, I already think like that, I've actually taught myself that from my own experience of being a professional for so many years'. That gave me a little boost, so I'll just continue with what I'm doing. I don't need anybody's help. I'm just going to do it myself," he said.
Aspinall, however, remains confident that Joyce's run will end if he repeats his earlier performance against Woodhouse. "Joyce is unreal on his double 16 but he can't score like me – and he knows that.
If I score like I did [in round two], he's not going to beat me, simple as that," Aspinall asserted. Fans can follow the World Grand Prix quarter‑finals live on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event from 7 p.m. on Friday, with daily coverage continuing through to the final on Sunday. For those looking for flexible viewing options, Sky Sports offers streaming deals without a contract through NOW, ensuring that the excitement of this major darts tournament is accessible to a wide audience.