Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price set for blockbuster World Grand Prix final after dominant semi-final wins
PDC
Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries have reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix on Saturday evening. Price defeated Nathan Aspinall in his semi-final, while Humphries was responsible for James Wade's elimination.
ADVERTISEMENT
A lot was expected from the semi-finals of the double-in, double-out tournament in Leicester, as all four semi-finalists had shown a strong level earlier in the tournament. However, the high expectations were not really lived up to, with neither match ever becoming particularly close.
Price defeats Aspinall thanks to superb start
Price immediately built up a sizeable advantage in the first semi-final. Aspinall made a disastrous start to the match and had an average of just 58 after the opening set. Price's average was twice as high, allowing the Welshman to comfortably take the first set 3-0.
The second set also went to 'The Iceman', who struck hard with a 78 finish in the fifth leg. Price then held his own leg once again to move into a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Price's walk-on.
Aspinall responded strongly in the fourth set, including with a 132 finish, and 'The Asp' then also claimed the fifth set. The Englishman reduced the deficit to 3-2 and would begin the sixth set himself.
However, Aspinall failed to make the most of that opportunity, immediately surrendering his own leg. Two 40 check-outs gave Price a 2-0 lead before Aspinall stayed in the set with a 48 finish. Price then wrapped up the set with a 66 finish.
ADVERTISEMENT
The seventh set began with a break in Aspinall's favour, but Price immediately broke back with an excellent 74 finish. The former world champion then moved to within one leg of victory with a 20 check-out. Price did not have to wait long for the end of the match, sealing the win immediately with a 52 check-out.
It will be Price's fourth World Grand Prix final. He won the title in 2020 by defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode in the final. He subsequently lost the final of the double-in, double-out tournament in both 2021 and 2023.
PRICE POWERS PAST ASPINALL!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 3, 2026
Gerwyn Price advances to his FOURTH World Grand Prix final!
Classy display from the 2020 champion 👏
📺 https://t.co/TMDN8xUQq6#WGPDarts | SF pic.twitter.com/bR4oDJyjTA
Humphries makes the difference against Wade midway through
In the final of the 2023 edition, Price had to acknowledge Humphries' superiority, and the Englishman will once again be his opponent on Sunday evening. 'Cool Hand Luke' proved too strong for James Wade, who had previously eliminated, among others, Gian van Veen.
ADVERTISEMENT
The match had an unusual pattern in the early stages, with the first four sets each being won by the player who had not started them. Humphries took the first and third sets, while Wade levelled the match by winning the second and fourth.
Humphries' walk-on.
That trend continued in the fifth set. After Wade won the opening leg, Humphries levelled with a 32 finish and a 68 check-out. Wade then struggled badly to open the leg, allowing Humphries to comfortably take the set 3-1.
Humphries then became the first player to successfully hold his own set, although it was far from straightforward. Wade moved 2-1 ahead but then produced two disastrous legs. 'The Machine' even looked as though he might get away with it, but in the fifth leg Wade missed a set dart at the bull. Humphries breathed a sigh of relief and took the set via double 8 to move 4-2 ahead.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Wade extended the match by taking the seventh set 3-1, but he was eventually forced to bow out in the eighth. 'Cool Hand Luke' opened with a 78 finish before doubling his advantage to 2-0 with a 40 check-out. A 58 finish then completed the 5-3 victory.
Humphries will also be appearing in his fourth World Grand Prix final, although he has reached all four consecutively. Humphries won his only World Grand Prix title in 2023.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- James Wade has become James Wide. He has piled on the tonnage considerably, he barely fits in his shirt.richieburnettrocks03-10-2026
- Littler will play whatever tournaments he decides. But does every headline have to start with him? Bristow bought Taylor through,and he followed that with Lewis. I can't see littler doing the same. Let him choose,and lose,he's getting good at that lately!rick6702-10-2026
- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
Loading