World Grand Prix 2026 | Gerwyn Price exacts revenge on Ross Smith as Nathan Aspinall whitewashes Luke Littler’s conqueror

Gerwyn Price avenged his World Series of Darts Finals defeat to Ross Smith and Nathan Aspinall brought Luke Woodhouse back down to earth as the first four World Grand Prix quarter-final places were settled in Leicester on Wednesday night. Both won in straight sets, while Jonny Clayton produced a spectacular finishing display to beat Wessel Nijman and Ryan Joyce comfortably saw off Danny Noppert.

Price’s 3–0 victory secured an all-Welsh quarter-final against Clayton, who landed checkouts of 112, 116 and 125 in a remarkable opening set before completing a 3–1 win. Aspinall delivered the highest average of the evening, 96.27, to end the run of Luke Littler’s conqueror and book a meeting with Joyce on Friday.

Smith had beaten Price to the trophy in Amsterdam, and for much of the opening set he threatened to frustrate the Welshman again. A 94 checkout brought Smith level before back-to-back 180s helped him break throw and move 2–1 ahead. He would hit four maximums in the set, but Price survived the danger. Having missed double 16 for a 152 checkout, he returned to break back on double eight before taking the decider in 13 darts.

Smith’s chances continued to come, but increasingly went unconverted. Three clear darts across double 16 and double eight escaped him in the first leg of the second set, allowing Price to break with his last dart at double four. A missed bull for 90 in the next leg brought another punishment, this time an 86 checkout in two darts.

Smith finally interrupted a run of four successive legs for Price, but double six gave the former champion a two-set cushion. There was still work to do in the third. Price needed his last dart at double five to complete an 80 checkout in the opener, then found double six with his final dart for 72 and a break. Smith responded with an excellent 116 finish while Price waited on 60 for the match, only for the Welshman to close out victory in the next leg with a two-dart 87.

Price finished with a 90.81 average, narrowly below Smith’s 91.11, but repeatedly won the exchanges that decided the match.

Clayton gave Nijman scarcely a moment to settle, opening with a 112 checkout against the throw and following it with 116 after the Dutchman had piled on the pressure with a 171 set-up shot.

The best was still to come. Bull, outer bull, bull completed a brilliant 125 finish and a clean sweep of the first set.

Clayton extended that run to four legs before Nijman finally got on the board. Even when the Welshman needed nine darts to get started in the next leg, Nijman could not take advantage. Three misses at double 10 allowed Clayton to escape with a 90 checkout on double 15.

This time, however, Nijman recovered. A 62 finish kept the second set alive, and when Clayton narrowly missed double 16 for a 149 checkout in the decider, the Dutchman took out 60 to level the match.

His opportunity to build on that recovery disappeared almost immediately. Five missed doubles in the opening leg of the third set gave Clayton a chance from 126, and he found the bull again to break throw. An 84 finish later secured the set, restoring his lead.

Nijman stayed with him through the opening two legs of the fourth, but Clayton moved to the brink on double four. The Dutchman then took five darts to get started in what proved the final leg. He still manufactured a chance at a spectacular 152 checkout, but missed double 12 before Clayton sealed his quarter-final place on double two.

Having knocked out Michael van Gerwen on Monday, Joyce dispatched another Dutch opponent with a 3–0 win over Noppert. Neither player found his best scoring rhythm early on, but Joyce’s finishing soon separated them. From a leg down, he held on double 12, broke with a 96 checkout after Noppert missed tops and double 10, and took the opening set with 72.

Noppert spoke to referee Kirk Bevins during the interval and appeared concerned about the stage floor, repeatedly gesturing towards it after returning to the oche.

Joyce extended his winning sequence to four legs before Noppert responded with a 14-darter. The Dutchman adopted a noticeably more deliberate approach, but could not prevent Joyce moving ahead again. When Noppert narrowly missed the bull for a set-saving 167, Joyce took out 56 to double his advantage.

Noppert held throw at the start of the third set, but that was his final leg of the evening. Joyce levelled on double 16, broke with a two-dart 100 checkout and finished the match with 96 on double eight.

The averages were almost identical, Joyce’s 86.04 edging Noppert’s 85.99, but the Englishman took all three sets 3–1.

Woodhouse returned to the stage after eliminating defending champion Littler, but Aspinall quickly put him under pressure with an opening-set whitewash.

A 14-dart break extended Aspinall’s advantage at the start of the second set before Woodhouse finally produced a response worthy of his opening-night performance. After a 170 set-up shot, he punished three missed doubles from Aspinall with a superb 135 checkout to break back.

Aspinall immediately regained the initiative. He broke again, then took out 104 after Woodhouse missed two darts at tops to level the set.

Trailing 2–0, Woodhouse made one final push. He broke on double 16 and survived a scrappy second leg on double five to move within a leg of taking the third set.

Aspinall answered with 74, although Woodhouse still had a chance to extend the contest when he lined up a 111 checkout. His dart at double 16 missed narrowly, and Aspinall stepped in with 58 to force a deciding leg.

A 106 finish completed the comeback within the set and the 3–0 victory. After surviving four missed match darts against Kevin Doets in round one, Aspinall will head into Friday’s quarter-final against Joyce having conceded just three legs in his second outing.