Jermaine Wattimena ensured that the European Darts Championship may go down in the books as the most wacky major tournament ever in PDC history. 'The Machine Gun' caused a huge surprise Sunday afternoon at the last eight by beating world champion Luke Humphries 10-4.
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Following Luke Woodhouse and Ritchie Edhouse, Wattimena is the third player from outside the top-32 to reach the semifinals of the European Darts Championship in Dortmund. Ricardo Pietreczko can add fourth if he manages to win in the final quarterfinals over Danny Noppert, the last remaining player from outside the top-32.
There was nothing at all stolen about Wattimena's victory. After previous wins over Peter Wright (6-0) and James Wade (10-9), he delivered a strong match with an average of 100.40 and a finishing percentage of 47.6 percent. On all facets, he was better than Humphries, who seemed to indicate a gust of wind on the stage.
Wattimena immediately posted a break in the first leg, but still had to give it up immediately. After both men held their own leg, Wattimena got ahead again after a 74 finish in the fifth leg.
Via a 14-darter in the sixth leg, that break was cashed in. Humphries threw out 121 to connect to 121, but saw the next three legs all go to Wattimena. Including a 10-darter, it was 7-3 for the Dutchman after the second session.
In the 11th, Humphries missed two darts on double 16 to keep the suspense somewhat alive. Wattimena did not fail from 58 and then rallied with a 13-darter to take a 9-3 lead. Humphries was then able to grab one more leg before 'The Machine Gun' completed the sensation with a 15-darter.
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On Sunday night, Wattimena will face either Pietreczko or Noppert in the semifinals. The other semifinal is between Woodhouse and Edhouse. The final is later on Sunday night.
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.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
WATTIMENA IS IN DREAMLAND 🙌
He beats Luke Humphries 10-4 in a truly astonishing performance to reach the last four in Dortmund!
Unbelievable scenes here!
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