"Van Veen wears him down" – Former world champion expects Humphries upset in World Darts Championship quarterfinals

With eight players left at the World Darts Championship, Alexandra Palace sets the stage on New Year’s Day for four quarter-finals. Analyst John Part expects clear favorites in some ties, but certainly doesn’t rule out upsets. In particular, Gian van Veen could, according to the Canadian, deliver one of the tournament’s biggest shocks.

In the top quarter-final, Part sees little room for doubt. Defending champion and world number one Luke Littler faces Krzysztof Ratajski, but a surprise from the Pole seems unlikely. “Krzysztof has played really well,” said Part in his preview on Sky Sports. “He’s solid, he’s a bit of an opportunist, and he doesn’t really get too nervous.

"But I think he does get overwhelmed by Luke Littler early in that match, and then it becomes a bit of a runaway. I can’t see much else happening there."

Part did note that Littler sometimes tries to force it a bit too much. "Luke seems to be trying to get the energy and aggression going, and sometimes that can pressure you a little too much. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue, but he might want to tone it down just a little."

The former world champion expects more tension in the clash between Jonny Clayton and Ryan Searle. According to Part, it promises to be a quick, rhythmic contest. “They’re kind of similar-paced players, and that’s going to be an entertaining, quick match. There’s a lot of flow to both of their games — they just get into it and enjoy it,” he said. Even so, he leans toward Searle. “But if Ryan keeps going, and I don’t see why he wouldn’t because he’ll enjoy that pace, I think it’s looking tough for Jonny. I’m in the Ryan camp for that one. It’s a bit risky because Jonny’s a really good big-game player and he can get motivated, but Ryan just seems to have something about him.”

The toughest quarter-final to call, says Part, is Luke Humphries against Gian van Veen. The Dutchman beat Humphries earlier this year in the European Championship final, and Part believes that scenario could repeat. "I think we’re going to see something similar to the start of Luke Humphries’ last match. It’s going to be a real battle early on, and we could get an extra set. I think someone might roll out two sets — and that’ll probably be van Veen."

Humphries will, in Part’s view, keep hanging in. “Luke will hang in there because he’s very consistent and comes back into it, but I think van Veen probably wears him down.” The Canadian admitted he’s leaning on his instincts. “I am. I’m just channelling right now — I’m into the darts-sphere."

In the bottom-quarter clash, Gary Anderson faces revelation Justin Hood. Although Part is impressed by Hood, he doesn’t believe in another upset. "I love what Justin Hood has done in every single match. But I can’t — with all my experience of watching darts and playing it — believe he’s going to topple Gary Anderson."

According to Part, Anderson remains a master of what he calls ‘responsive darts.’ "Gary’s really good at responsive darts. He sees what’s happening, he picks his way through opponents, and I think the legend continues on the elder side. I hope the new legend of Justin continues somewhere, but I don’t think it’s here."