Grand Slam of Darts: Michael van Gerwen stunned by Luke Humphries as Nathan Aspinall beats Alan Soutar | Darts News

Humphries enjoyed a 16-10 win in their favorite game and will play Aspinall in the semi-finals; Watch the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals from 1pm, Sunday on Sky Sports Arena before the final from 7pm.

Michael van Gerwen was knocked out of the Grand Slam of Darts as Luke Humphries pulled off a stunning upset in Wolverhampton on Saturday evening.

The Dutch were favorites to reach the last four, but Humphries produced an impressive triple ton and led from the third leg on to a 16-10 victory, which would be the biggest win of his career to date.

He will now play Nathan Aspinall in Sunday’s semi-final after beating Alan Soutar 16-12 in the first quarter-final of the evening.

The winner of the match will play either Raymond van Barneveld or Michael Smith in Sunday night’s final, with Van Gerwen returning to the Netherlands to strengthen his preparations for the World Darts Championship in December.

How Humphries stunned Van Gerwen

Sixth seed Humphries missed 11 moves in the opening three legs of the match, but managed to break his opponent in the third leg and never trailed.

Impressive scores of 140 and 167 in the final rounds of eight and nine saw him cruise to a 6-3 lead and a 132 in the 17th round brought another break that saw Van Gerwen back down for a while.

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Luke Humphries hit a checkered 140 and 167 in the bullpen earlier in the season

Humphries won each of the first four sets 3-2 to establish a 12-8 overall lead and although Van Gerwen won the first set of the final set, his opponent dropped three straight legs to go to the final victory.

Van Gerwen showed a glimpse of his class in the 25th leg with a 104 finish, but it only delayed the inevitable as Humphries slotted home in the next minute to seal a comfortable victory.

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Another great finish from Humphries followed as he produced 132.

Humphries’ win came despite his finishing being far from clinical – he missed 32 shots in the match – but Van Gerwen missed 24 and finished second best.

“Everyone wrote me off before I played tonight,” Humphries told Sky Sports.

“But I just showed that I can beat the top players. I can beat Michael. He missed a couple of doubles, let’s not get it wrong, but I was there to rest and throw chances when I needed to.

“I have good memories of playing Michael. I’ve beaten him in some good matches when I’ve played well. If you don’t have that belief you can beat him, when you go there you’ve probably already lost.

“I know I can beat him and in the end I took the chance. As I changed a few lines, I could have won 16-7 or 16-8, but it doesn’t matter. Winning is what I wanted. .”

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The best action from Day Eight of the Grand Slam of Archery.

‘Bad’ Aspinall is too good for Soutar

Earlier in the evening, Aspinall beat qualifier Soutar 16-12 to book his place in Sunday’s semi-final and move into the top 10 of the world rankings.

The Englishman had a 95, but his 46 per cent exit was crucial as his opponent – a part-time player who will return to his firehouse on Monday morning – missed 30 shots in double.

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Aspinall made an impressive 107 in the seventh innings.

Aspinall got off to a good start, winning four of the first five legs, disappointingly dropping the third leg after missing six darts on the double, despite opening with a good six darts.

Soutar stubbornly forced his way back into the contest, fighting back from 7-4 to level at 7-7, but a huge 142 from Aspinall to break the 16th leg proved crucial.

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A massive outing of 142 proved essential for Aspinall in the 16th over.

Aspinall built a five-leg lead when Soutar somehow missed four shots in two on the 17th and 19th legs and raced home, despite what he described as a “horrible” second half of the match.

“The last 10 legs of the game were really poor and I have to improve because I’m not winning anything,” he told Sky Sports.

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All the best have been completed from the quarter-finals on Saturday night at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.

“But it’s another semi-final, so I have to do well and I’m very happy to be able to do it.

“I had three or four legs where I couldn’t hit anything. I have to be focused, I have to be sharp and that’s something that bothers me a lot.

“I was playing well there in the first 15 laps and then I was playing badly, but I won.

“Tomorrow, I feel better. Kirsty, my friend, and I have been talking lately and we don’t think the big one is too far off.”

Watch the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals from 1pm, Sunday on Sky Sports Arena before the final at 7pm – and don’t forget the World Championship is back on Sky Sports from December 15 to January 3.