“I love Michael Smith to bits, it’s great to see him back” – Luke Humphries sends classy message of support after surging into Grand Slam semis

Luke Humphries produced another statement performance at the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts on Friday night, dismantling Michael Smith 16-8 to book his place in the semi-finals and set up a blockbuster showdown with Gerwyn Price.

But while the scoreline suggests a routine night, the World No.1 spoke warmly in his post-match press conference, sending a heartfelt message for his former world champion opponent. Smith’s last two seasons have been defined by injuries, painful flare-ups, missed majors and a drop down the rankings he once dominated. Humphries made a point of acknowledging exactly what his rival has been battling through.

“I love Michael Smith to bits. It’s great to see him back up on that stage again,” Humphries said post-match. “He’s had a really tough time of it, but it looks like he’s finally getting over the bad patch. People forget what he’s been going through physically. To see him throwing like that again, with fire in his belly, that’s massive for the sport.”

Humphries admitted he fully expected a dangerous version of the 2022 champion to show up, and that early in the match he could feel Smith’s energy building. “I knew he’d push me. The first few legs, even though I went 4-1 up, I could tell he was settling, and when he gets that rhythm, he’s one of the best in the world. Honestly, when he hit that 97 and the 180s started flowing, I was thinking ‘here we go then.’ He was right there with me for a spell.”

Despite allowing Smith to close the gap from 7-3 to 8-7 after a flurry of missed doubles, Humphries insisted he never panicked.

“I was a bit annoyed with myself before that second interval, because I let him back in. My doubling went sloppy for ten minutes and you can’t do that against Michael. But I came out after the break feeling really calm. I’ve learned over the last year how to reset properly. That’s something I never used to be good at.”

Reset is exactly what he did. Humphries reeled off eight of the next nine legs, producing bursts of world-class scoring and three clinical breaks of throw that crushed Smith’s late hope of a turnaround. He closed with an 11-darter, finishing the tie with a 104.98 average, nine 180s and a highlight 138 checkout.

“Once I got in front again, I just tried to stay patient. I wasn’t chasing big flashy shots; I just played percentage darts. I was really happy with how I scored tonight. The 138 was a nice one. I think that was the moment where I felt I had control again,” he added.

Humphries also reflected on one of the most dramatic moments of the night — a leg where both he and Smith were on the nine-dart finish.

“Honestly, when Michael missed it, I said to him, ‘This is my chance to rewrite the same history you did,’” Humphries recalled. “He laughed. I’d already hit a nine this week, and when I hit the 141, that one dart could have been the second, could have been the third. I felt like it could go in and create a bit of history, but it didn’t happen. Maybe that moment affected me a bit, because afterwards I missed nine or twelve darts and it threw my concentration. That’s why I can seem boring on stage; I’m so focused I don’t get caught up in moments like that.”

When asked if Wayne Mardle’s voice was echoing in his head, Humphries confirmed it was: “I was. Just like I said earlier, I was thinking, ‘This is my chance to recreate the same history he did.’ I was actually hoping he’d hit it because I hit one against him. I felt he deserved one back, and he wasn’t far away. Then I was thinking, ‘This is my chance.’ You don’t see legs like that very often — maybe three times in the last few years with people like Josh Rock and Luke (Littler). So I thought if I got it, it’d be a bit of history. It didn’t happen, and I lost a bit of concentration, but I’ll learn from it. Next game I need to stay fully focused.”

The intensity of the match also took a physical toll on Smith. Humphries commented on the injury he noticed only after the game: “I didn’t see it until the end when I shook his hand. I asked him what he'd done. He had a couple of cuts on his head. I didn’t punch him or give him an uppercut! Probably frustration, I don’t know.”

The win sets up a mouthwatering semi-final against Gerwyn Price, who earlier thrashed Ricky Evans to continue his own charge.

Humphries didn’t shy away from the scale of what awaits. “Gezzy is playing amazing stuff. We always seem to bring the best out of each other. It’s going to be fast, heavy scoring, proper tungsten. I’ll need every bit of focus because he looks sharp and hungry.”

He also confirmed he feels “much better” after the injury scare that dogged him earlier in the week. “My arm felt shaky a couple of days ago, and I was worried because the Grand Slam’s been really high on my list to win. But today it felt good. Almost perfect, actually. If it stays like that, then I feel like I can go all the way.”

Reflecting on his year as a whole, Humphries spoke openly about the new pressure of being a hunted down World No.1, something he’s still clinging on to ahead of Luke Littler. “People expect you to win every time now. I’m still learning to carry that. But nights like this remind me that I belong here. I’ve worked too hard not to give it everything.”

And before signing off, he circled back to Smith – a classy touch after a brutal scoreline. "Fair play to him — he played really well. He just dwindled a bit at the end. When you haven’t played this sort of long format in a while, it can be tough. Credit to him, though. He was right on my tail for most of the match. I just managed to keep a high level throughout."

Humphries now marches into the semi-finals with a point to prove and a swagger that suggests he believes this could be his week. If he maintains this level against Price, Wolverhampton may be about to witness one of the great Grand Slam battles.