Hungarian Darts Trophy 2025 Roundup | Littler, Humphries, Van Gerwen & Price all victorious on Saturday night in Budapest

The Saturday evening session at the 2025 Hungarian Darts Trophy delivered plenty of entertainment in Budapest, with some of the sport’s biggest names making it safely through to the last 16. Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and defending champion Michael van Gerwen each advanced, though with varying degrees of comfort, on a night that also saw Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock produce strong displays.

World Champion Luke Littler was in no mood for drama as he stormed past Joe Cullen 6-1. The teenager set the tone immediately with a blistering 12-dart break that included two 180s, and never looked back from there. While Cullen had chances – squandering several darts at double in the early stages – Littler punished every slip, racking up five maximums and checking out at 75% to complete a dominant victory. A small flourish of five perfect darts in leg seven underlined his authority on a night when he looked every inch the player to beat.

World number one Luke Humphries was made to work harder but still came through a tricky test against Nathan Aspinall, winning 6-4. Humphries opened with a break and showcased his class with a 130 checkout to reassert control after some scrappy finishing from both players earlier in the contest. Aspinall threatened to turn the tide with an 11-darter midway through, but Humphries’ extra scoring power and timely checkouts proved decisive as he booked his place in the last 16.

It wasn’t vintage Michael van Gerwen, but the three-time World Champion got the job done in a 6-2 victory over Matthew Dennant. The Dutchman was inconsistent on the outer ring, missing a stack of darts at double, yet still produced enough scoring power to stay in charge. Dennant had chances to make things interesting but failed to take them, and Van Gerwen eventually closed it out on double two. He’ll know he must sharpen up quickly, with compatriot Danny Noppert awaiting on Sunday.

Gerwyn Price looked sharp in a 6-2 win over Richard Veenstra, starting with a superb 145 finish and never looking troubled. Josh Rock continued his strong year with a 6-3 defeat of Ricardo Pietreczko, producing four straight legs at over 110 average before being forced to fend off a late fightback from the German.

Niko Springer continued his rise with a commanding 6-1 demolition of Damon Heta, setting up a meeting with Rob Cross. The biggest shock came earlier when Stephen Bunting squandered multiple match darts and was punished by Frenchman Thibault Tricole, who snatched a deciding-leg victory to advance. Before, in the final match of the evening, Mike de Decker comfortably saw off Tom Bissell 6-2 with a strong performance to complete the last 16 lineup.

With the big hitters still in contention and local fans treated to a strong Saturday night card, Sunday in Budapest promises fireworks. Littler, Humphries, Van Gerwen and Price are all still standing, setting up a blockbuster last 16 at the Hungarian Darts Trophy.