Luke Humphries admitted that he must raise his game if he hopes to defend his World Grand Prix crown and capture a second title, and he confessed that he would have liked to see defending champion Luke Littler stay in the tournament longer. The 2023 champion, who has also been runner‑up in the last two editions of the double‑start event, delivered a rather flat performance in his straight‑sets win over Dave Chisnall at the Mattioli Arena. The world No.
2 managed to hit fewer than 27 percent of his checkout attempts and posted an average of 80.41 – the lowest figure he has recorded at this venue since 2022. Nevertheless, he breathed a sigh of relief at avoiding the fate that befell both Littler and Michael van Gerwen, who were both knocked out in the first round.
"That was probably one of the worst displays I've ever produced on a World Grand Prix stage," Humphries said after the match. "I never felt comfortable during the whole encounter.
The doubles weren’t clicking from the start, my scoring was terrible and I got the impression that Chizzy [Dave Chisnall] wasn’t at his best either." He added, "It wasn’t a good performance, but I’m through to the next round and when I meet Jermaine [Wattimena] on Thursday I hope you won’t see a repeat of this." With defending champion Luke Littler suffering a shocking defeat to Luke Woodhouse, Humphries now finds himself the favourite to lift the trophy. Yet he confessed that the elimination of the world No.
1 adds extra pressure. "I hate it when he loses because it instantly puts the spotlight on me. Everyone starts saying, ‘It’s yours to win now,’ and that kind of pressure builds up," Humphries explained.
"I’d love to meet him in a final and beat him there – I don’t want to lose to him, but playing against him in a final gets me excited. When he’s out, I don’t celebrate; instead I feel the weight of expectation on my shoulders, and sometimes that doesn’t help." He continued, "I’d rather he stay in the tournament as the favourite so I can try to sneak past him into the final." Humphries’ triumph in 2023 was his first PDC‑ranked televised title and sparked a dominant finish to that season. Since then, however, the player known as “Cool Hand” has endured a string of runner‑up finishes in major events after winning both the World Masters and the Premier League last year. "I feel like I deserve a major title – I’ve lost in six or seven finals now," he said.
"I played an outstanding Premier League final and a World Masters final, both at a 105 average, and still came up short. Those losses are hard to swallow." He reflected on the difficulty of beating top‑level opponents: "If you play anyone else on the tour, they probably won’t beat you, but when you face a phenom like Luke Littler, he can take you out.
I know I deserve a major, but life doesn’t always hand you what you think you’ve earned." Humphries concluded, "It’s up to me to win four more matches and raise my level dramatically. If I repeat the same level of play, I’ll be lucky just to reach the quarter‑finals or semi‑finals." During his progression to the last‑16, the former world champion sparked curiosity on social media after appearing on stage with a noticeable scab on his head.
He clarified that the mark caused no hindrance to his game. "I wanted to tell a dramatic story about battling five opponents and emerging victorious, but I don’t have a great tale this time," Humphries said.
"I filmed Bullseye on Tuesday, woke up Wednesday with a massive rash on the side of my head, and it kept worsening until it scabbed over." He speculated that the reaction might be linked to makeup and creams used for TV appearances: "When you do TV shows they put makeup on, along with various creams, and I think I had an allergic reaction to something they applied. I haven’t seen a doctor yet, but it looks like an allergic response to the products they used on my head and face.
I’m fully fine otherwise." The World Grand Prix continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports throughout the week, with daily coverage leading up to the final on Sunday. Viewers can also follow the action via Sky Sports deals or stream without a contract on NOW.