Gary Anderson battles past Raymond van Barneveld as Cullen ousts Wade in World Grand Prix opener
Gary Anderson edged out Raymond van Barneveld in a tense last-leg decider on the opening night of the 2025 World Grand Prix in Leicester on Monday.
In the battle of the former World Grand Prix finalists, it was Anderson who held his nerve to fend off a spirited revival from the Dutch icon.
Van Barneveld had rallied from a set down to force a decider with the aid of a 109 checkout, but only to surrender a 2-1 lead in the final set as Anderson dug deep to progress to the Last 16.
The veteran duo did not shake hands on stage post-match, and Anderson admitted: “I had to fight for everything. I stuck in and got it done at the end.
“I love doing the ProTours, and the European Tours I’ve done I’ve really enjoyed. The TV tournaments over the last two or three years have not been too good, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
Anderson will now meet Joe Cullen in round two after the 2023 semi-finalist swept aside two-time champion James Wade in straight sets.
Recent Players Championship event winner Cullen continued his resurgent form by landing six finishing doubles from eleven attempts and dropping just two legs against a below-par Wade.
Luke Humphries began his quest for a second World Grand Prix title in the space of three years with a straight sets victory over Nathan Aspinall.
Humphries prevailed in a headline clash with 2022 runner-up Aspinall at the Mattioli Arena, defying a sensational 170 checkout from ‘The Asp’ to clinch a hard-fought opening set.
The world number one then powered in a terrific 156 checkout of his own as he sealed the second set to safely advance to the Last 16.
“It was a big game tonight,” said 2023 champion Humphries, also the runner-up 12 months ago.
“Nathan is a fantastic player, but he let me in a couple of times, and that 156 was massive for myself.
“My starting doubles were good and they usually are here. My scoring wasn’t as strong, but hopefully I can come back on Wednesday and be better.”
Stephen Bunting produced the performance of the opening night, averaging 97 and landing five 180s and two ton-plus checkouts in a straight-sets win over German debutant Niko Springer.
Bunting will now face Danny Noppert in round two, after the Dutch number two landed a 158 checkout to complete a magnificent comeback against his fellow countryman Jermaine Wattimena.
Rob Cross edged out Dutch debutant Wessel Nijman in a dramatic start to the tournament, surviving a match dart in the decider before clinching a hard-fought victory.
Nijman outscored Cross for large periods of the contest, but the 2018 World Champion delivered on the outer ring, pinning eight of his 16 attempts at finishing doubles to progress.
Cameron Menzies awaits Cross in round two, after the Scottish star registered his first win on the World Grand Prix stage with an impressive straight-sets success over 2019 semi-finalist Chris Dobey.
Meanwhile, Krzysztof Ratajski raced into round two courtesy of a dominant 2-0 victory against German number one Martin Schindler.
Ratajski dropped just one leg to triumph with an impressive 96 average and will now take on Humphries for a place in the quarter-finals.
World Grand Prix 2025 Day One Results
Monday October 6
First Round
Rob Cross 2-1 Wessel Nijman
Martin Schindler 0-2 Krzysztof Ratajski
Chris Dobey 0-2 Cameron Menzies
James Wade 0-2 Joe Cullen
Danny Noppert 2-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries 2-0 Nathan Aspinall
Gary Anderson 2-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Stephen Bunting 2-0 Niko Springer
