Defending champion Humphries reaches World Grand Prix semi-finals

Defending champion Luke Humphries beat 2021 winner Jonny Clayton 3-1 to move into the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester.

World number one Humphries started strongly but was pegged back at 1-1 – then made a superb 146 checkout as he recovered from two legs down to win the third set before sealing his victory.

“That’s the most nervous I have felt in a long, long time,” Humphries told Sky Sports.

“It is hard playing your friends but I just felt nervous, It is really not like me. There is an opportunity to win again and maybe I am trying too hard. Jonny was unlucky there, he could probably have had the third set, that 146 changed everything.

“I am trying to strive for more and achieve perfection but I am very lucky I am still here. Sometimes you have to ride your luck.”

Humphries will face Ryan Joyce in a best-of-nine encounter in the last four after the 39-year-old continued his fine run in the competition with a 3-2 win over fourth seed Rob Cross.

Cross, who won the World Championship on his debut in 2018, took the opening set with an 11-dart leg but then lost the next two before drawing level.

However, Joyce punished misses from his opponent in the decider to book his first appearance in the semis.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s Mike de Decker defeated two-time champion James Wade 3-0 in Friday’s opening match in a high-quality contest that went to a deciding leg in each set.

De Decker will face Dimitri van den Bergh on Saturday after his compatriot comfortably advanced past Joe Cullen 3-1.