Luke Humphries endured a thrilling match against Gabriel Clemens, winning 4-2 despite the German’s onslaught, and will now face either Nathan Aspinall or Kevin Duetz in the last 16 of the World Darts Championship.
Humphries, aiming for a second world title to add to his first win since 2024, overcame some early jitters to take the first set with a slow-the-key break. Humphries, who is ranked second in the world, told his family there was some tension at Alexandra Palace.
But the Englishman regained his strength after the break and rattled through the second set, averaging over 109, and took another slow break to take a 2-0 lead.
Clemens came into the match in the third set – a bull, 25, a bull finish of 125, a standout moment – but Humphries showed why he is a star, finding a sublime 12-dart leg in the deciding opportunity to claim a 3-0 advantage.
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Humphries hits 170 checkout to stop Clemens matchup
Despite being far ahead, Clemens didn’t give up and the fourth set was all his, with a 121 checkout and a 116 checkout en route to bringing the tie back to 3-1. A strong slow keep in the fifth set left the German just one set behind the tournament’s second favorite, despite “Cool Hand” reeling in “The Big Fish” with a 170 checkout.
The drama continued as Clemens easily landed 180 after 180, giving himself a chance to take the contest to a deciding set, but he missed three set darts at the top and was tied up with D10, then D5, and Humphries showed nerves of steel to take D13.
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Clemens took the set back with a checkout of over 3 tons against Humphries.
“For me, I thought you were in control. I didn’t feel like I was down. I thought Gabriel got a lot better and made me push for it too,” Humphries told Sky Sports.
“If that D13 didn’t happen, we’d be 3-3 and I’m panicking! Getting those two points at the end, you saw that celebration, could be the difference between becoming a two-time world champion or not.”
“Gabriel played great there. He showed a lot of grit and determination and I found that little level when I needed it. Thank God!”
MVG organizes mouth-watering contest with Anderson
Michael van Gerwen will continue his bid for a fourth World Darts Championship title after a 4-1 win over Arno Melk in the third round, which saw him face Gary Anderson in El Clasico for a place in the quarter-finals.
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Wayne Mardle predicted on commentary that Arlo Merck would defeat 120 people…and he was right!
World No. 3 and Anderson have had many epic battles on this stage, and the 2026 installment is expected to be no different.
After taking the first set against Darts, MVG stepped up his game in the second set, spinning for three legs as the debutant Merck struggled to find the right moment to pounce.
However, Merck helped the Germans back into the match with a checkout of 145 and a “Shanghai” finish of 120, somehow scoring the third set and taking the third.
But that only pushed MVG up a notch, as he looked into the zone and took a 3-1 lead, one set out of the fourth round, setting up a clash with his nemesis in the second darts match of the D18.
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Highlights of final set drama from Round 3 match between Gary Anderson and Jermaine Wattimena
Van Gerwen was bullish after the match but knows things will get tougher against the Flying Scotsman, who was one dart away from nine darters earlier in the day.
“Was it a contest? For me it wasn’t,” van Gerwen told Sky Sports.
“I didn’t play very well to beat him. Everyone knows what he’s capable of, but I played well today. I could have given more if I needed to, but I didn’t need it, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Me and Gary always have a good game. Gary has played great darts lately, especially in this tournament – 102 average, 103 average.”
“I need to step up a little bit, but my results are not too bad. I still have a lot left in the tournament. I’m really looking forward to the competition.”
Van Veen shows why candidates’ positions are fixed.
Meanwhile, title contender Jan van Veen put in another strong performance with a 4-1 win over Madars Razma.
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Jan van Veen scores an important 125 to defeat Madars Razma 4-1
With an average of 97.91, the young Dutchman won five consecutive legs in one match, a 57 percent doubles success rate and a winning 125 checkout to seal the deal.
Razma managed to fight back in the fourth set, rattling three legs with a spin and getting on the board, but it wasn’t long before Van Veen was back on track with three legs of his own, securing a spot in the fourth round to face either Ricky Evans or Charlie Manby.
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