Rob Cross defies nine-dart Luke Humphries to take title at Baltic Sea Darts Open

PDC
Sunday, 12 May 2024 at 23:10
rob cross 2
Rob Cross has walked away with the title at the Baltic Sea Darts Open. 'Voltage' saw his opponent Luke Humphries throw a nine-darter, but the final victory went 8-6 to Cross.
Humphries had earlier in the evening defeated Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Cross had dealt with Maik Kuivenhoven (6-2), Stephen Bunting (6-5), Ritchie Edhouse (6-5) and Madars Razma (7-4) on his way to the final.
In the final, Cross raced into a 3-2 lead, but that was followed by a strong acceleration from Humphries. The reigning world champion equalized with a 68 finish and then took over the lead with an 11-darter and a 9-darter. Cross seemed unimpressed, however, and broke 'Cool Hand Luke' back with an 11-darter. He then threw a 15-darter to level the score again.
A 15-darter then brought Humphries back into the lead, but he missed a chance to double his lead to 7-5 via double 15. Instead, it became 6-6 after Cross hit the double 8. Then 'Voltage' was unleashed with two consecutive 12-darters, allowing Cross to lift the cup in Kiel.