"It's strange. You get up there and suddenly it feels like you can’t throw properly" - Luke Humphries puzzled but victorious at Baltic Sea Darts Open

Luke Humphries survived a dramatic opening-round thriller at the Baltic Sea Darts Open, edging past Mickey Mansell 6–5 in a match that nearly slipped away from the world number one.

‘Cool Hand Luke’ was far from his fluent best but dug deep to get over the line, and now moves on to face Ryan Searle in the last 16, after ‘Heavy Metal’ defeated Cameron Menzies 6–3.

After the match, Humphries cut a relieved figure and admitted the performance fell short of his usual standards. “Yeah, it was, to be honest. From start to finish, it wasn’t a great performance from myself,” he said. “It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like my best — and it showed on the dartboard. It was up and down. There were so many legs where Mickey was there for the taking and I just didn’t turn up.”

Despite arriving in Kiel in good spirits and with strong practice under his belt, Humphries couldn’t find a rhythm once the match began. “It was strange because I practised really well,” he added. “It’s just one of those games — you can’t always play well. Sometimes these are the good ones to get through, because usually, when I’m not at my best, I lose. But I managed to get over the line tonight, even when I wasn’t at my best. So yeah, I’m hoping I won’t be playing like that tomorrow — that’s for sure.”

Visibly frustrated on stage at times, the reigning world champion said even his warm-up routine gave him no warning of the struggles to come. “I didn’t know why they weren’t going in — it all felt really good before I walked on stage,” he said. “And then, once I got up there, it felt like I hadn’t thrown all day. When you’re a top player, sometimes it just feels strange. You get up there and suddenly it feels like you can’t throw properly. You have to learn from those moments.”

In the end, it was Humphries’ mental toughness that made the difference. “I got through the game — luckily. But I was disappointed with the way I played,” he admitted. “I even said to Mickey at the end, ‘I don’t know who really deserved to win that game.’ One minute it looked like Mickey, then me — it was just strange. But the grit and determination got me through in the end.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s final day of action, Humphries is hoping to raise his level — and knows he may never have a better opportunity to win this title. “I’ll be going in fresh and looking for a much, much better performance,” he said. “The two players who beat me in the final the last two years — Rob Cross and Dave Chisnall — are already out. So hopefully I can go one step further this weekend.”

Despite a strong overall season, Humphries is yet to win a European Tour title in 2024 — something he’s determined to change. “I’ve had a great year, but I’m still searching for that European Tour title. Not yet,” he said. “I know I’ve not been on it as much as I usually am. Other commitments and time at home with my family have taken priority. But it’s nice to be back. I’m hoping I can put in a good showing tomorrow and really put into practice what I’ve been working on.”

With the World Matchplay fast approaching, Humphries admits everything is building toward Blackpool — but that doesn’t mean he isn’t focused on making it third time lucky in Kiel. “Hopefully I can win the title. But if not, it’s on to the Matchplay next week,” he said. “That said, I really want to win it this week. Maybe third time’s the charm here in Kiel.”