Gerwyn Price engineered an all‑Welsh quarter‑final encounter with Jonny Clayton after dispatching Ross Smith in straight sets at the World Grand Prix, while Ryan Joyce and Nathan Aspinall also secured their places in the Leicester quarter‑finals. Price, who entered the event as one of the favourites following Luke Littler's surprising early departure, built on his opening‑round triumph over Sebastian Białecki by conceding only four legs in a dominant 3‑0 victory over Smith at the Mattioli Arena. Although Smith posted the highest first‑round average, Price managed to keep the leg count low, earning a Friday evening showdown with his World Cup of Darts teammate Clayton.
The 2020 champion’s performance was impressive: he averaged 101.61 overall on Monday night, but his figure dipped by more than ten points against Smith. After an early break, Price responded with a flawless 13‑dart finish to level the set, then clinched the opening set in a final‑leg decider. He followed that with an 86 checkout to take the second set and an 80 finish early in the third.
Smith briefly surged, hitting a 116 checkout to break and pull ahead, yet Price sealed the match with a decisive double‑18 finish. Reflecting on the encounter, Price told Sky Sports, "I don’t think it was a great game and I don’t think we played brilliant. What we did do in patches was start well and finish well, but the bits in between were a little bit rubbish.
I know he [Clayton] is chasing a Grand Slam spot, so the pressure is on him. I think he got lucky first round – hopefully he doesn’t get lucky in the next round!" Clayton, meanwhile, opened his match against Wessel Nijman with three consecutive ton‑plus checkouts, establishing a 3‑1 win that saw him post a 93.08 average and secure four high‑scoring finishes. He began the first set by breaking with a 112 checkout, then held his throw with a 116 finish and capped the set with a 125 bullseye. Nijman managed to snatch a leg with a 90 finish, forcing a final‑leg decider for the second set, which he won.
Clayton reclaimed momentum in the third set, launching a bullseye to claim a 126 checkout. Over the course of the match he recorded eight maximums and delivered four of the next six legs, cementing his quarter‑final berth for the third year running. "My scoring was good but, to be fair, Wessel missed a few chances on doubles and he gave me a few chances," Clayton explained. "The two bullseyes were good, the 126 was good and I have a big smile." In the other quarter‑final pathways, Ryan Joyce breezed past Danny Noppert in straight sets, while Luke Woodhouse—who had shocked Littler in round one—was eliminated after a 3‑0 defeat at the hands of Nathan Aspinall.
Aspinall, averaging 96.27 and hitting eight 180s, started strongly by breaking Woodhouse’s throw and following up with a 104 checkout to build a two‑set lead. He then won three consecutive legs from 2‑0 down, confirming his spot in the last eight. Aspinall commented, "As long as I can handle the pressure, which I think I have shown in these two games in the key moments, I am going to be tough to beat this week.
If it all comes together, I am one of the best players in the world. Everybody knows that but I have to prove it." Aspinall’s next opponent will be Ryan Joyce, who dominated his opening match of the evening, limiting Danny Noppert to just three legs and expressing frustration with the stage floorboards moving under his feet. The quarter‑finals will be contested from 7 p.m., first to three sets, with live coverage on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event. The tournament continues daily through to the final on Sunday, with streaming options available via NOW without a contract.