Luke Humphries delivered a markedly stronger performance on the double‑start board, using his finishing prowess and a flawless 10‑dart leg to dispatch Jermaine Wattimena 3‑0 and book his place in the World Grand Prix quarter‑finals. The evening also produced 3‑1 victories for James Wade and Niels Zonneveld, who overcame Stephen Bunting and Gary Anderson respectively, while Gian Van Veen survived a nail‑biting decider against Ryan Searle to win 3‑2. Humphries entered the tournament as a favourite after defending champion Luke Littler suffered a surprise defeat to Luke Woodhouse on opening night. His first match, a 2‑0 win over Dave Chisnall, had been underwhelming – he posted an average of just 80 and hit only 26% of his closing doubles.
Two nights later, the 2023 champion and runner‑up in both 2024 and 2025 dramatically improved his numbers, posting a 94.11 average and converting 64% of his finishing doubles. Even more striking was his 74% success rate on opening doubles, a statistic that highlighted his early‑leg aggression, especially on double 16. The nickname "Cool Hand" will now meet fellow Dutchman Zonneveld in the last eight on Friday.
Humphries’ 10‑dart perfect leg arrived at the start of the third set, a rare feat that underscored his renewed confidence. Wattimena, by contrast, missed the correct double twice in the opening set, allowing Humphries to seize momentum. After the match, Humphries reflected, "I’ve got a good chance of winning this. At the moment I’m a bit up and down, but if I can put that right I’m going to be tough to beat.
It wasn’t the best performance, but it was a good performance. It was a lot better than it was on Tuesday. I think I got in every time with my first three darts. When you’re doing stuff like that, it’s going to take a top performance to beat you." James Wade also put on a masterclass with the double‑start format, cruising into his eighth World Grand Prix quarter‑final.
He opened his match against Bunting with a 160 checkout five times, a display of scoring power that set the tone. Wade admitted the double‑start format is unforgiving: "I am so grateful as it is so hard to win with a double start.
We can all play it cool and pretend to be relaxed but it is awful, it is hellish, really hard work. I don’t feel anywhere near my best but I am having to play better against better players.
I have loads more gears to go – but talk is cheap. And I am full of cheap talk!" In the other quarter‑final, Ryan Searle produced the tournament’s highest checkout of the week – a 167 – and fought hard against Van Veen.
He broke the Dutchman’s throw with a 100 finish in the fourth set, only to be broken back immediately in the deciding leg. Van Veen, who had led 2‑0 in the penultimate set before Searle levelled to 2‑2, responded by blitzing the final set 3‑0 to clinch the match. Van Veen commented on his own performance: "When I was 2‑1 down in sets, I was like, ‘oh no, this is not how I want to go out’. As good as double 16 went for me in the first round, it kind of bothered me today.
But at the end it really came good. I was quite happy with my scoring, but just missed a couple of darts at a crucial time.
Luckily I got the job done." Niels Zonneveld, after a solid opening‑round win over Josh Rock, produced a statement victory over Gary Anderson. He started the match by taking a set where every leg went against the throw, putting immediate pressure on Anderson. The Englishman’s start was disastrous – he opened with a single 1, suffered two bounce‑outs, and later missed a bullseye for the leg, resulting in another bounce‑out in the fourth set. Zonneveld broke Anderson’s throw and then sealed the win in the following leg.
Zonneveld explained the significance of the result: "Especially in this tournament, it is one of the biggest things in my whole career. I have achieved many things Pro Tour‑wise and Euro Tour‑wise but not on the main stage, just once at the World Series Finals. I have become a dad so less sleep and all that but I feel in rhythm again." The matches are being broadcast from 7 p.m., with the format of first to three sets.
Fans can watch the quarter‑finals live on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event, with daily coverage continuing through to the final on Sunday. For the best viewing experience, a Chrome browser is recommended for the tournament’s video player.