World Number One Luke Humphries and Michael Smith duked it out on Friday night at the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts and they evoked memories of the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship final with both Smith and Michael van Gerwen being on perfect legs at the same time.
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The same could be said on Friday between Humphries and Smith. 'Cool Hand Luke' was pegged back to 7-7 as Smith came fighting back from 4-0 down in their last eight clash in Wolverhampton but he won nine out of the last 10 legs to finish the win in convincing fashion.
Smith and Humphries both hit six perfect darts at the start of the 11th leg of the match. Smith hit a nine-dart finish that time against Van Gerwen but he missed double 12 to complete the magical feat this time around. Humphries then failed to hit treble 20 with his seventh dart.
But Humphries now moves on to face Gerwyn Price for a place in the final after he beat Ricky Evans 16-9. The other two Quarter-Finals take place on Saturday with Luke Littler facing Josh Rock. While Lukas Wenig will take on Danny Noppert in the other tie with the Dutchman either continuing his major brilliance as of late or Wenig springs a shock.
Either way last night we could've so nearly have had another viral moment that Humphries even referenced on Sky Sports afterwards about wanting to replicate.
"I got involved in that — 180, 180, 180, 180 — I was thinking of you! As soon as he missed that double 12, I said to Michael, “This is my chance," he said to Wayne Mardle on Sky Sports.
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"I honestly think it affected me for a few legs, because when he missed, I said to Michael, “This is my chance to do what you did.” But from that moment I kind of let my guard down a little bit."
"I was missing doubles — double one cost me a lot. But overall it was a solid performance apart from that. I think for the whole standard overall — first to 16 and to average, you know, 100, 104, 105 — is pretty decent. But I know there’s a lot more in me and I can do better than that."
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.
THAT IS AMAZING!
"Michael may miss, and Luke may hit!" 🤣
Michael Smith comes agonisingly close to one of the greatest nine-darters you will EVER see!
📺 bit.ly/25GSODLive#GSOD | QF