PREVIEW Final Day US Darts Masters: Littler, Van Gerwen and Price remain in New York hunt

Eight men remain in the race for the title at the 2025 US Darts Masters at New York's Madison Square Garden. Michael van Gerwen is chasing his third US Darts Masters title in this iconic playing venue while Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price remain. Two of the top PDC names lost on Friday.

The US Darts Masters is part of the World Series of Darts. The tournament had its debut in 2017, when it was still hosted in Las Vegas. Michael van Gerwen won that first edition by defeating Daryl Gurney 8-6 in the final. In 2018, Gary Anderson added his name to the list of winners after a win over Rob Cross. A year later, in 2019, it was Nathan Aspinall who took the title by beating Michael Smith.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was dropped in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the US Darts Masters returned to the PDC calendar, and the event was held for the first time at New York's iconic Madison Square Garden. Michael Smith then grabbed the title after winning over Van Gerwen in the final match. In 2023, Van Gerwen took revenge by knocking off Jeff Smith by a whopping 8-0 in the final. A year later, in 2024, it was Rob Cross who could hold up the trophy after a thrilling 8-7 victory over Gerwyn Price.
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The opening match of the evening delivered an immediate shock. Jason Brandon produced the first major upset of the tournament by defeating top seed Stephen Bunting 6-4 in a Friday night stunner. Despite averaging just 86.40, Brandon made the most of his chances to eliminate the reigning World Series champion of Bahrain and Denmark. His reward is a quarterfinal showdown with Damon Heta.

Heta impressed on his US debut, cruising past Jim Long 6-1 with a clinical display that included a 98.68 average and a 50% checkout rate. The Australian, who memorably won the Brisbane Darts Masters in 2019, is playing his first regular World Series event outside Oceania. With Brandon standing in his way, Heta will fancy his chances of reaching at least the semifinals.

As expected, Luke Littler made light work of Jules van Dongen, dispatching the Dutch-American 6-1. ‘The Nuke’ toyed with his opponent for much of the match and sealed victory in style, checking out 120 via three tops in the final leg. A tougher test awaits in the quarterfinals, where Littler will face Nathan Aspinall.

Aspinall delivered the performance of the opening round, averaging 104.68 and hitting 60% of his doubles in a dominant 6-2 win over Matt Campbell. Fresh off snapping a 12-match losing streak to Littler earlier this month, Aspinall will be aiming to repeat the feat. Despite that recent breakthrough, Littler still holds a commanding 14-2 head-to-head lead.

Statistically, Nathan Aspinall was the standout performer of the first round at the US Darts Masters.

Another standout in the opening round was American Danny Lauby, who thrilled the home crowd with a sensational 6-0 whitewash of defending champion Rob Cross. The quick-throwing left-hander averaged 94 and matched Aspinall’s 60% on the doubles in a flawless performance. Lauby now faces world number one Luke Humphries.

Humphries was tested in his opener by the unorthodox Stowe Buntz. After racing to a 3-1 lead, ‘Cool Hand Luke’ found himself trailing 4-3, but steadied the ship to close out a 6-4 win. A third consecutive semifinal at the US Darts Masters is within reach for Humphries, though he has fallen at that hurdle in each of the past two editions.

Michael van Gerwen returned to action with a bang, brushing aside Leonard Gates 6-1 in his first match since a month-long break due to personal matters. The Dutchman looked sharp, averaging 99.63 and finishing at 60% in a commanding display. He now faces Gerwyn Price in a high-stakes quarterfinal clash.

Price, last year’s runner-up, eased past Adam Sevada 6-2 with an average of 102.47. Saturday’s quarterfinal will mark the 55th official meeting between Van Gerwen and Price. ‘Mighty Mike’ leads the rivalry emphatically with 37 wins, compared to Price’s 16, and one draw in the old Premier League format. Van Gerwen has won five of their last six encounters, including three already in 2025.

The winner of Van Gerwen vs. Price will face either Humphries or Lauby in the semifinals, while Heta or Brandon will battle Littler or Aspinall. The night will culminate with the final, where the seventh US Darts Masters title will be up for grabs at Madison Square Garden.