Schedule final day New Zealand Darts Masters 2024: Humphries v Smith and Van den Bergh v Littler among Quarter-Finals

All eight PDC stars managed to get through the first round of the New Zealand Darts Masters on Friday as expected. On Saturday, the tournament will continue from 8 a.m. with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, respectively. Read our preview here.

Early Saturday afternoon, we will know who can call himself the next winner of the New Zealand Darts Masters. The Globox Arena in Hamilton has been the regular venue for New Zealand's annual World Series tournament for several years. In 2019, Michael van Gerwen managed to take the title there by defeating Raymond van Barneveld (8-1) in the final. The corona pandemic prevented the tournament from taking place in 2020 and 2021, but the PDC stars were able to return in 2022. Then the title went to Gerwyn Price, who was 8-4 too strong for Jonny Clayton in the final. In 2023, the New Zealand Darts Masters was won by Rob Cross, after 'Voltage' dealt with Nathan Aspinall (8-7) in the final.

We begin the day with a clash between Luke Littler and Dimitri van den Bergh. For now, Littler is the most successful player at the 2024 World Series. Just days before his seventeenth birthday, he won January's Bahrain Darts Masters, while Littler also claimed the title at the Poland Darts Masters in June. In between, he lost in the final of the Dutch Darts Masters to Michael van Gerwen, who is missing New Zealand due to his recently undergoing dental surgery. Last week in Australia, Littler again made it to the final, but had to settle for first place. His fourth final this season puts 'The Nuke' at the top of the World Series Order of Merit.

Van den Bergh has had considerable success on the World Series circuit in the past. In 2022, he won the Nordic Darts Masters and the Dutch Darts Masters. In addition, Van den Bergh was in the final of a World Series tournament twice more, and also made it to the final match of the 2021 World Series Finals. Last week, Van den Bergh reached the semifinals at the Australian Darts Masters by beating Luke Humphries, among others.

The tournament then came to an end in the semifinals after a 7-6 defeat to Littler. This was only the first time these two players met on the PDC Tour. Littler began this tournament Friday with a 6-3 victory over Jonny Tata, while Van den Bergh was 6-3 too strong for Mark Cleaver.

Luke Humphries has added a slew of television titles to his record this past year, but a World Series title is still missing from his list of honors. In the ten regular World Series tournaments Humphries has played, he never even reached the final. Also last week in Australia it didn't work out for 'Cool Hand Luke', who surprisingly went down in the quarterfinals against Dimitri van den Bergh. A new chance for Humphries is coming up in Hamilton, but for a final spot the Englishman needs two more wins.

After his 6-3 victory over Kayden Milne, Michael Smith is the next obstacle for the world number one. Smith did not play a good match on Friday, but managed to win 6-3 over Jeremy Fagg despite an average of 84. Smith has already played 27 regular World Series tournaments. Three times 'Bullyboy' managed to win one, including the first Bahrain Darts Masters in 2023. Smith has been allowed to travel to 'Down Under' before, where he reached the final once. In 2018, the Englishman lost to Peter Wright in the final of the Melbourne Darts Masters.

It will be the 20th official clash between Humphries and Smith. The balance is nearly even. Humphries won 10 times, while Smith prevailed nine times.

Price provided a huge boost to his confidence last week by taking the title at the Australian Darts Masters, after the former rugby player was also successful at the Nordic Darts Masters in June earlier this year. He now returns to the place where Price managed to win the title in 2022. On Friday, 'The Iceman' had a fine start to the tournament by beating Ben Robb 6-3 with an average of almost 97.

Wright also tanked some confidence last week by reaching the semifinals. Price then stopped the advance of 'Snakebite'. Wright won four World Series titles in the past, including the Nordic Darts Masters in 2023. In 2018, the Scot was also successful on Oceanic soil by taking the overall victory at the Melbourne Darts Masters. Wright had little trouble with Daniel Snookes in the first round on Friday, notching a whitewash for a spot in the last eight. 

In the head-to-head, Wright is still ahead 24-17 against Price, although it should be noted that Price managed to win all of the last four encounters.

At the end of the morning, Rob Cross and Damon Heta will compete for the last vacant spot in the semifinals. Cross had an excellent World Series block in June, when he managed to reach the final at all three tournaments in New York, Copenhagen and Gliwice. In New York, Cross even got to lift the big cup. Currently, Cross' tally already stands at four World Series titles, three of which were won in "Down Under. Last year Cross claimed the title at the New Zealand Darts Masters by defeating Nathan Aspinall in the final.

Cross narrowly triumphed 6-5 against Haupai Puha in the first round and now another player from the Oceanic continent awaits. He will now cross swords with Damon Heta, who was too strong for Simon Whitlock in an Australian showdown 6-1. 'The Heat' caused a sensation in 2019 by winning the Brisbane Darts Masters as the 'local representative'. Last year Heta also reached the final of the New South Wales Darts Masters in Wollongong, but then it was Cross who kept him from the title. 

In the past, Cross and Heta have met seven times on the PDC Tour. On five occasions, victory went to Cross, while Heta twice walked away with the spoils.

After the four quarter-finals, the two semifinals are scheduled. After the two finalists are known, there will be a brief 15-minute break before the finals are played.

Luke Littler v Dimitri van den Bergh

Luke Humphries v Michael Smith

Gerwyn Price v Peter Wright

Rob Cross v Damon Heta

Littler/Van den Bergh v Humphries/Smith

Price/Wright v Cross/Heta

Littler/Van den Bergh/Humphries/Smith v Price/Wright/Cross/Heta