Gerwyn Price has reached the
Darts">Grand Slam of Darts Quarter-Finals after a thrilling comeback to win 10-8 in Wolverhampton against
Danny Noppert.
In the battle of the Iceman and the Freeze, it was the 3 time Grand Slam Champion, Price who took the opening leg, nailing a spectacular 150 finish and giving us the first roar of the match. Noppert wouldn't be intimated however and after levelling up at 1 apiece, fired back with a roar of his own. The Dutchman had started off by far the better player, racing into a 3-1 lead but with a 14-dart hold just before the break, Price showed signs of life.
With both players emphatically pinning the outer ring, Noppert took out finishes of 82 and 72 before Price would threaten to replicate his 9-darter against the Freeze at this years World Matchplay, reeling off six perfect darts before eventually settling for an 11-dart hold. In the final leg of the second session Noppert, not wanting to be outdone would kick off with five perfect darts of his own before finishing up on D8 for a 6-4 lead at the break.
A 14 dart break from Noppert in the 11th leg saw him stretch his lead to three clear legs at 7-4, putting the former World Champion bang in trouble. One thing about champions though is they never know when to quit. Price returned fire, winning back-to-back legs for the first time in the contest thanks to finishes of 40 and a nerveless 74.
After Noppert missed one dart at D20 for a 9-6 lead, Price pounced nailing the very same target his opponent had just missed to keep in touch at 8-7. With the tension building and every treble being feeling important, Gerwyn Price pulled out a truly special 164 finish to level up at 8-8 with the Welshman having the darts.
Pinning D19 after an untimely bounce out for Noppert, Price moved to just one away and an ice cold 15 dart break of throw later the comeback was complete. From 7-4 down Price had come back to win 10-8, setting up an exciting rematch against Raymond van Barneveld in the Quarter-Final.