"Price is just his nastiest opponent" – Van der Voort sees a bogey opponent for Clayton after his elimination at the World Grand Prix
PDC
The World Grand Prix has reached its decisive stage and, with four players left, the title race is wide open according to Vincent van der Voort. Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, Luke Humphries and James Wade all have the experience and quality to lift the trophy in Leicester. Van der Voort is especially impressed by Aspinall and Wade, while Humphries, despite his wins, has yet to hit top gear.
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Aspinall swept past Ryan Joyce in his quarter-final. Van der Voort is particularly struck by the way “The Asp” is handling the glitches in his throw. “He’s been playing well throughout this tournament anyway. It looks good. Even though everything takes so long with him and he has a lot of hitches, he’s still playing brilliantly,” he said on the Darts Draait Door podcast.
It is on the key moments that Aspinall keeps those issues under control. “That makes it even more impressive, because normally the longer it takes, the more tension builds in your body and the harder it is to hit a finish. But he’s found a way to deal with it really well. I think a lot of other players would drive themselves completely mad if they had this.”
According to Van der Voort, Aspinall seems to have found a method to distract himself at those times. “He’s found a way to cope with it quite well. Maybe by shifting his thoughts or staring at a certain spot or whatever. His hitch is different of course, and you have to say: it’s incredibly impressive what he’s doing, even though he effectively has an extra opponent.”
Nathan Aspinall impressed in his World Grand Prix quarter-final
Draw falls kindly for Aspinall
Van der Voort also acknowledges that the draw has not been unkind to Aspinall. Instead of Luke Littler and then possibly Michael van Gerwen or Danny Noppert, the Englishman faced Luke Woodhouse and then Joyce.
Even so, the former pro does not want that to diminish Aspinall’s performances. “Credit to Joyce as well, he’s a good player. But today he just played him off the board and that’s impressive. Anyone would have struggled against him today. It’s clear the draw has helped a bit, of course. I think he’s making a very strong impression.”
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Aspinall has also taken important steps on the world ranking. According to the podcast, he climbs at least to 11th. Van der Voort finds it notable because Aspinall hasn’t played a full schedule this year. “Fair play that he’s fought his way back, because he hasn’t played that much this year. So that’s impressive.”
Another title is well within reach, he believes. “If he keeps playing like this, definitely. You’ve got four players now and all four will think: this could be my tournament.”
On current form, Van der Voort does not see anyone pulling clear. “It’s not like Humphries is making that much of a statement. Wade looks fantastic, Price looks good and so does Aspinall.”
Price escapes against Clayton
Aspinall meets Price in the semi-finals, after the Welshman survived a dramatic quarter-final against Jonny Clayton. Clayton had a chance at 52 in the decider but failed to take it.
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Van der Voort was surprised. “Once he’s fought his way into a match like that, he usually doesn’t miss anymore. He’s so stubborn he drags it over the line. So I was actually surprised he missed it.”
At the same time, he sees Price as a particularly awkward opponent for Clayton. “Price is just his nastiest opponent, I feel. It seems like he’d rather play Humphries and Littler than Price.” It proved enough for Price to make the last four, where Aspinall awaits.
Price speaking after.
Humphries wins without convincing
On the other side of the draw, Humphries reached the semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Niels Zonneveld. The scoreline did not reflect the match, Van der Voort argued. “It was all just not quite there. That’s also the difference between a true world-class player and someone who is very, very good.”
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Zonneveld had chances to take sets, but Humphries was clinical at the key moments. “That all just slips away. With Humphries it doesn’t. That shows how good he is, because he actually isn’t in form at this tournament.”
The set format ultimately made the margin on paper look far bigger than it was. “It’s 3-0 in sets now. It looks emphatic, but it was quite close.”
Van der Voort finds it notable that Humphries has come this far despite patchy form. “The first round from Humphries was nothing at all, really. And after that he hasn’t improved that much.”
Wade a serious threat
Humphries will face Wade in the semi-final. Van der Voort has great admiration for the form, and especially the consistency, of “The Machine.”
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On paper, Humphries might be seen as the strongest of the four remaining players, but based on what he has shown in Leicester, Van der Voort sees it differently. “That’s what you’d say on paper. But for me, he’s been the least convincing of the four. That’s why I think it’s pretty even.”
Above all, Wade is a dangerous opponent in his view. “We all know Wade isn’t suddenly going to throw a lot worse. He just knows how to play a tournament like this, what to do and what not to do. Humphries will have to be a fair bit better to beat James Wade.”
Van der Voort adds that head-to-head records say little with a player like Wade. The Englishman has been around so long that meetings from many years ago are barely relevant.
“James Wade has been playing for so long. You can run into James Wade in a spell when he wasn’t playing that well. Then you might have beaten him a few times, and that could be ten years ago. You can’t read too much into that.”
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Van der Voort even believes Wade could surge up the rankings again in the coming months. “I wouldn’t be surprised if James Wade is in the world’s top four. It wouldn’t surprise me if he sticks a super result on the board somewhere in the next few months and is simply top four in the world.”
For the semi-finals, Van der Voort ultimately has two names in mind. He expects Price to get past Aspinall and sees chances for Wade against Humphries on the other side. “I think Price edges out Aspinall. I rate Aspinall highly, but I’ve got a feeling this is going to be Price’s tournament.” On the other semi, he goes for an upset: “I think James Wade beats Humphries.”
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.
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