Luke Humphries delivered a markedly stronger performance on the double‑start board, using his finishing skill and a flawless 10‑dart leg to cruise to a 3‑0 victory over Jermaine Wattimena, thereby booking his place in the World Grand Prix quarter‑finals. The evening’s action also featured 3‑1 wins for James Wade and Niels Zonneveld, who dispatched Stephen Bunting and Gary Anderson respectively, while Gian Van Veen edged out Ryan Searle in a nail‑biting 3‑2 encounter. Humphries entered the tournament as the favourite after defending champion Luke Littler suffered a surprising defeat to Luke Woodhouse on opening night. His earlier match against Dave Chisnall had been underwhelming – a 2‑0 win in which he averaged just 80 and hit only 26 % of his closing doubles – but the tide turned dramatically in his next outing.
The 2023 champion and runner‑up in both 2024 and 2025 raised his average to an impressive 94.11, and his finishing‑double conversion climbed to 64 %. Even more striking was his starting‑double rate of 74 %, a figure that highlighted his aggressive approach of targeting double 16 early in each leg. Nicknamed “Cool Hand,” Humphries will now meet Wattimena’s fellow Dutchman, Niels Zonneveld, in the last eight on Friday. Early in the third set he produced a perfect 10‑dart finish, a rare feat that underscored his renewed confidence.
Wattimena, by contrast, faltered twice in the opening set, missing the required double on two occasions. After the match Humphries said, “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, meanwhile, produced a masterclass with the opening throw, hitting a 160 checkout five times during his 3‑1 win over Stephen Bunting, securing his eighth appearance in a World Grand Prix quarter‑final. Wade acknowledged the difficulty of the double‑start format, noting, “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 another thrilling match, Ryan Searle – who recorded the tournament’s highest checkout of 167 – pushed Van Veen to the brink. Searle 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 at 2‑2, responded by blitzing the final set 3‑0 to claim the win. Reflecting on his performance, Van Veen admitted, “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 continued his strong run after an opening‑round triumph over Josh Rock, then eliminated Gary Anderson in straight sets. Zonneveld’s first set saw every leg go against the throw, yet he managed to break Anderson’s rhythm and close out the match.
Anderson’s start was disastrous – he hit a single 1, suffered two bounce‑outs, and later missed a bullseye for the leg, resulting in another bounce‑out in the fourth set. Speaking about his progress, the 28‑year‑old Zonneveld said, “Especially in this tournament, it is one of the biggest things in my whole career. I have achieved many things on the Pro Tour and Euro Tour 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 tournament follows a best‑of‑five‑sets format, with each set requiring three legs to win.
Matches begin at 7 p.m., and the quarter‑finals will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event from Friday evening. Coverage continues daily through to the final on Sunday, with streaming options available via NOW for viewers without a contract. The event promises more high‑stakes drama as the remaining competitors vie for the coveted title, showcasing the unique challenges of double‑start darts and the precision required to excel at the highest level.