"One of the top 5 players there's ever been" - Luke Humphries shows plenty of respect for James Wade ahead of their European Championship quarter-final

Luke Humphries kept his hopes of securing back-to-back TV titles alive as he secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the European Championship with a 10-5 win over Krzysztof Ratajski on Saturday night.

"I probably tried too hard. Sometimes when my first dart doesn't go in the treble, I panic a little bit," Humphries admitted honestly post-match to Online Darts. "I start getting frustrated in myself. I'm not a first dart merchant but if that first dart goes I'm a top-4 or top-2 player in the world."

Having initially gained an advantage early on, Ratajski fought his way back into the tie before a late-game surge fired Humphries into the last 8. "That's why it's good we have breaks in this game," Humphries reflects. "Because I was able to come off that stage and say to myself; 'Right now you need to get your aggressive head on, you need to be pumped up, you need to show why you're number four in the world and a major champion.' Thankfully I think I did."

Next up for Humphries is a multiple time major champion in James Wade. "He's a legend of the game. I think he's very under-appreciated," Humphries says of 'the Machine'. "In my mind he's one of the top 5 players in the world there's ever been. He's achieved so much in a golden era so I've got a lot of respect for James I really do."