At the World Darts Championship, Gary Anderson defeated Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries defeated Kevin Dautts at Alexandra Palace to set up a quarter-final showdown with Jan van Veen.
Humphries battled back from a set down to beat Dawetsu 4-1, averaging 103.07 points and scoring eight highs as he continued his quest for his second world title in three years.
The world number two will next face another Dutch player, Van Veen. Van Veen capped off ‘Champagne’ Charlie Manby’s impressive world championship debut with a 4-1 win, while Anderson also beat Van Gerwen by the same score to reach the last eight.
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Luke Humphries beats Kevin Deutz 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship
The two former champions traded 19 180s and both averaged nearly 100 points during the frenetic match, with Anderson leading from start to finish and set to face England’s Justin Hood in the quarterfinals.
Hood was the star of the afternoon session, hitting 11 consecutive doubles en route to a 4-0 victory over Josh Locke. Krzysztof Ratajski beat Luke Woodhouse 4-2, while Johnny Clayton also beat Andreas Harrison by the same margin to reach the last eight.
World darts championship quarterfinals drawing
Humphries shows class to reach top 8
Doets had dispatched Nathan Aspinall in the previous round and threatened another notable scalp after breaking Humphries twice (including an 88 finish at the bullseye) en route to the first set.
Humphries quickly broke back to close out the second set with a 66, saw off the third set with 13 darters to move ahead, and raced through the next set in back-to-back legs.
‘Cool Hand’ continued to advance, following a 14-dart hold and finishing at 118 with a double 19, the best checkout of the match, defeating Dorts again and Humphries rounding out the win with an eight-game winning streak.
“I felt really good,” Humphries told Sky Sports. “It was a decent performance for me. I told myself I didn’t want to create unnecessary drama. I felt I played well, but I feel like there’s another level within me that’s important.”
“I need another level inside me because that’s not how you win the world championship. It’s going to be a tough match against Gian (Van Veen) and it’s going to be a great darts game. It’s one of those matches where you’ll have to bring more than that to beat him.”
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Luke Humphries reflects on his victory over Kevin Deutz at the World Darts Championship and his hopes of chasing a second world title
Van Gerwen sacked by Anderson
Despite reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in four years, Anderson has always downplayed his hopes of competing for a first world championship since successfully defending his title in 2016.
The Flying Scotsman opened with a 101 checkout, outscoring Van Gerwen’s set darts to take the first set and quickly doubled his lead. The Dutchman then won three consecutive legs with just 37 darts to win the third set.
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Anderson reflected on his match against Van Gerwen and securing a spot in the quarter-finals.
Anderson regained his spot in two sets and overcame a poor leg of 20 darts to slog his way to victory, allowing Van Gerwen to squander a dart to hold and extend the contest, allowing the Scot to take a famous victory in D8.
“I think I was rotten, Michael (van Gerwen) was rotten too!” Anderson told Sky Sports. “I knew Michael would miss doubles sometimes, but not too many times. We got into a pinch at the end, but I’m glad we were able to break through.”
“Since I went on stage tonight, I’ve never felt good, and I don’t think Michael has either. I was trying to feed him and vice versa.”
Van Veen sets up Humphries showdown
World Youth Champion Van Veen claimed he “didn’t feel in control” in the win over Manby, despite firing a maximum of nine shots and averaging over 98.
Van Veen survived a set dart to break Manby with an 84 finish and take the first set in the deciding leg. The next set saw both players unleash massive checkouts, with Englishman Manby leveling the score.
With a 132 finish at the bullseye, she lost momentum after shutting out the third set in straight sets, and won the next two sets in a row to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.
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Jan van Veen checks out 132 at the bullseye to win the third set against Charlie Manby
“I didn’t feel as in control as I looked,” van Veen insisted to Sky Sports. “My scores went up and down a little bit, but I was able to come back up with some really good finishes.
“I knew it as soon as I got up 3-1. I feel really good. I stumbled a little bit in the last set. The 180 was landing the way I wanted it to be. I felt much more comfortable today than the other day.”
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Jan van Veen reflects on seeing off Charlie Manby for the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace
What’s next?
The tournament will take a day off before returning to the quarterfinals on New Year’s Day, where Creighton will face Ryan Searle, the only player to not drop a set in the tournament, before Anderson faces Hood.
A showdown between Humphries and Van Veen will headline the evening session, after Luke Littler continues his quest for back-to-back world titles against Ratajski.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407) until January 3rd. Stream darts and other top sports now.
