Gerwyn Price survived three match darts to beat Jonny Clayton in a final-leg thriller at the World Grand Prix, as James Wade emphatically dumped out Gian van Veen in Leicester.
Price battled back from two sets down in an absorbing all-Welsh contest at the Mattioli Arena, where he won six of the next seven legs to level the match before Clayton edged ahead in a dramatic final set.
Clayton missed a match dart to win the set in straight legs and saw Price drag the contest into a last-leg decider, where ‘The Ferret’ wasted two more match-winning darts to allow his compatriot to snatch victory and a semi-final spot.
Price will face Nathan Aspinall, who fired a 105.15 average – the fourth highest in World Grand Prix history and best in a quarter-final – during his straight-sets win over Ryan Joyce, with the other two matches also offering big storylines.
Wade dropped one leg during a one-sided victory against third seed Van Veen while Luke Humphries – the favourite after Luke Littler’s shock early exit – has yet to lose a set after brushing aside Niels Zonneveld 3-0 in the final match.
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James Wade felt Gian van Veen was ‘pretty poor’ in their World Grand Prix Darts quarter-final, so he ‘bashed him up’!
Price’s comeback win sets up Aspinall semi
A year on from blowing a two-set lead and losing a quarter-final in a deciding leg to Littler, Price produced his own comeback to book a fifth World Grand Prix semi-final in seven years.
Clayton took out 110 and 117 before surviving set darts to sneak the opening in a last leg, then took the next in straight legs but saw Price open the third with an 11-dart break and 12-dart hold.
Price edged past Clayton in an epic quarter-final
Price averaged over 107 during the third set and breezed through the fourth to set up a decider, where he recovered from losing the next two legs and missed opportunities from Clayton to complete a memorable victory.
“I know what it’s like to be in front and losing, but I feel like I was the better player all the way through the game,” Price told Sky Sports. “I’m just glad I got over the winning line. I thought I was dead and buried, but I never gave up.”
The opening match of the evening saw Aspinall race through the opening set in just 42 darts and take out 110 to claim a fourth straight leg to start the second, where Joyce needed to fire a stunning 153 checkout just to hold throw.
Aspinall nailed a 112 finish on his way to closing out the second set and broke early in the third to move closer to victory, with Joyce missing two set darts before seeing ‘The Asp’ close out a convincing win by taking out 75.
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Nathan Aspinall had to pause during his 112 checkout to avoid hitting a fly!
“I’m really happy with that performance,” Aspinall told Sky Sports, having reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2022. “My starting, my finishing, my 180s – it’s probably one of my best performances ever on stage for my whole career.
“I feel like I can win this tournament, and I feel like I’m ready to win another major again. There’s no reason why I can’t and I’d love to win the trophy on Sunday.”
More to follow…
Friday’s quarter-final results
- Nathan Aspinall 3-0 Ryan Joyce
- Gerwyn Price 3-2 Jonny Clayton
- Gian van Veen 0-3 James Wade
- Luke Humphries 3-0 Niels Zonneveld
Saturday’s semi-final schedule
From 8pm; first to five sets
- Nathan Aspinall vs Gerwyn Price
- James Wade vs Luke Humphries
Watch day six of the World Grand Prix live on Sky Sports+ from 8pm on Saturday and Sky Sports Main Event from 8.30pm, with coverage every day up to and including the final on Sunday. Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW.
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