"I would die from crying if I win this trophy" - Jermaine Wattimena continues resurgence with stunning win over Luke Humphries at Dutch Darts Masters 2025
PDC
Jermaine Wattimena's stock continues to rise over the past few months. After ending 2024 in arguably the form of his life, the Dutchman has kicked off his 2025 campaign in style by dumping world number one Luke Humphries out of the Dutch Darts Masters.
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Wattimena, who reached the European Championship final at the back end of 2024, halted 'Cool Hand Luke' 6-3 with a solid 98.8 average, four 180's and a high checkout of 153, setting up a quarter-final showdown with another former world champion, Rob Cross later tonight in Den Bosch.
"I'm happy with it to be honest. No words needed, I'm just happy, really happy with it," a beaming Wattimena told TalkSport in his post-match press conference. "I started a little bit nervous, but after two down I was not nervous. Then when I got 5-2 up, I was a little nervous again, but I'm happy that I manged to win the match and it's my second win in a row against him!"
Given his prior success over Humphries, Wattimena came into the match with no fear. "I know Luke is the number one in the world, but I know I'm playing really good since the last time we met. And we know we have a difficult game, because always we have a good game against each other," the Dutchman explains.
In Den Bosch, Wattimena also has the backing of a vocal Dutch crowd, a factor that could be key in his quarter-final against Rob Cross later tonight and the potential rounds beyond. "I would die from crying if I win this trophy," he admits in conclusion. "This trophy would really mean a lot."
If Wattimena can get past Cross in the last eight, either Gerwyn Price or Kevin Doets awaits in the semi-final.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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