The champion has been crowned in the Big Apple and it is
Rob Cross who takes home the
US Darts Masters title in New York despite having a broken foot as he saw off Gerwyn Price in a dramatic decider after an incredible run from 'Voltage'.
Cross secured the title and £20,000 after defeating Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries and Price on a thrilling night of action. 3,600 in the MSG Theater set a new record for the North American jaunt and Cross joins an illustrious group of winners in the process.
He kicked off Finals Day by seeing off reigning champion Michael van Gerwen in a dramatic 6-4 win. He sealed six out of the last eight legs to do so as the Dutchman who has not been at his best for sometime failed to extend his bid for a third US Darts Masters crown. Cross then survived an almighty comeback from World Champion, Luke Humphries with six 180's from 'Voltage' proving the tonic.
Humphries came from 5-0 down to draw level, but Cross won the last two legs in 11 and 12 darts to setup a showdown with Gerwyn Price. In terms of Price's run, he produced the highest average of the weekend in his Quarter-Final thrashing o Peter Wright. 'Snakebite' said about putting the bad times behind him, but he got a stark reminder soon after by 'The Iceman' who hit a 104.52 average and pinned a 170 checkout on his way to a 6-1 win. He then saw off Luke Littler with 'The Nuke' reeling off legs of 10 darts, 14 darts and 13 darts to level up from 6-3 down. But in reality, Price had the last laugh as he hit a 108 checkout in the decider.
Littler himself had priorly saw off Jeff Smith thumping him before losing to Price. Humphries saw off Nathan Aspinall producing a ton plus average to come from 5-4. But Price was set to face Cross in the final. The former started brighter.
Another missed chance for Price in New York.
He was left to rue spurning three darts at double for a 5-2 lead. Price hit a 164 checkout in response although both continue to struggle to hold their throw. In leg 12, Cross made it 6-6 but he was in the ascendancy as despite Price putting himself 7-6 up, Cross won the final two legs to seal his first TV title of 2024.
For Cross, it is another World Series title success also. He won two in 2023 as a dominant force in Australia in particular. Sealing the New South Wales Darts Masters and New Zealand Darts Masters. He has also previously won the Brisbane Darts Masters and now adds the US portion to his collection. The Nordic Darts Masters will be the next box to tick off. That will take place next weekend on June 7 and June 8 in Copenhagen. He also adds to his overall title tally for 2024 which includes the Baltic Sea Darts Open recently. Despite having a broken foot, Voltage is back on the mark and is a champion again on the World Series. He takes home the crown in the Big Apple.
He joins Matt Campbell in the title stakes who sealed the 2024 North American Darts Championship earlier on Sunday. Albeit he cannot qualify for the Grand Slam or World Championship due to rules surrounding his eligibility. Being a Tour Card holder means that he was almost just playing for pride. Those spots now go to a CDC player later on in the season. A shame for Campbell who has had a pretty poor season so would've been a way to get in through the back door to Ally Pally. But alas it wasn't to be. He still heads home though with the title and so does Rob Cross as the next World Series is now upon us.
2024 US Darts Masters
Saturday June 1
Quarter-Finals
Rob Cross (92.07) 4-6 (95.23) Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries (100.01) 6-5 (98.09) Nathan Aspinall
Luke Littler (103.16) 6-2 (93.44) Jeff Smith
Gerwyn Price (104.52) 6-1 (92.18) Peter Wright
Semi-Finals
Rob Cross (96.69) 7-5 (90.51) Luke Humphries
Gerwyn Price (103.51) 6-7 (98.41) Luke Littler
Final
Rob Cross (91.15) 8-7 (96.36) Gerwyn Price