Ryan Joyce denies Nathan Aspinall at the World Grand Prix as Humphries maintains title defence
Ryan Joyce held his nerve to deny Nathan Aspinall in a dramatic sudden death set in Round Two of the World Grand Prix in Leicester on Wednesday.
Day Three of the prestigious double-start tournament saw the second round commence at the Mattioli Arena, with reigning champion Luke Humphries also among those to progress.
Joyce booked his place in only a third televised ranking quarter-final courtesy of a 3-2 victory over 2022 runner-up Aspinall, surviving three match darts in a gripping climax.
Following ten consecutive holds of throw, Joyce produced a timely 110 checkout to move two sets to one up, before Aspinall responded by clinching the fourth set to force a decider.
However, the Premier League star squandered three match darts across two legs in the closing stages, and Joyce capitalised on double six after twice busting his score.
“I thought I held myself together really well in that final set,” reflected Joyce, who provisionally moves into the world’s top 32.
“Nathan put me under so much pressure, but I’m absolutely delighted to go through.
“This is a tournament that I absolutely love playing in. I am 100 per cent certain I can win this title.
“I’ve prepared well for this tournament, I’m a dangerous opponent and I’m going to give it my best shot!”
Humphries, meanwhile, followed up his remarkable comeback win over Stephen Bunting on Monday by overcoming Ricardo Pietreczko 3-1 to step up his title defence.
Humphries, who also defeated Pietreczko on his way to claiming World Championship and World Matchplay glory, took the opening set before Pietreczko recovered from a sluggish start to draw level.
The world number one, however, landed a clinical 130 checkout to cap off set three and regain control of the contest, before sealing victory with a 90 finish on the bull in the following set.
“Ricardo played a fantastic game of darts,” said Humphries. “If he played anybody else tonight he might have won the game, but I managed to scrape through in the end.
“Those six darts at the end of the third set were crucial. It could have been a lot different, but that 180 followed by the 130 won me that game.”
Humphries will meet a resurgent Jonny Clayton in the Last Eight on Friday, after the 2021 champion dispatched Ross Smith 3-1.
Smith averaged 101.8 in his first round demolition of Gian van Veen, and he made a similarly blistering start against Clayton, landing 149 and 145 checkouts in the opening exchanges.
However, Clayton worked his way back into the contest, reeling off three consecutive sets to advance to his first televised ranking quarter-final since July 2023.
“The way I started the game, I thought I had no chance here tonight,” said Clayton.
“You have to find something, but it’s really difficult when you’re playing against a good friend like Ross.
“I just dug deep and managed to get over the line. It’s a massive win for me, and I’m looking forward to playing Luke now.
“He’s the best dart player on the planet, but if you want to win these tournaments you’ve got to beat the best, so if I want to win this, I’ve got to beat him.”
Earlier in the night, 2018 World Champion Cross ran out a comfortable 3-1 winner over Martin Schindler to move through to his first World Grand Prix quarter-final.
Cross coasted to the opening set in three straight legs, but only for Schindler to reply with a three-leg blitz of his own to restore parity.
However, the fourth seed then overturned a 2-0 deficit to snatch set three, before punishing Schindler’s double-start woes in the fourth to complete a hard-fought victory.
“I’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations at this tournament, so it’s an amazing feeling to be in the quarter-finals,” admitted Cross.
“I’ve started to feel a bit more comfortable at times this year, so that’s improvement, and things are going in the right direction.
“I’m looking forward to Friday now. Ryan [Joyce] is a really strong finisher, and he reminds me a little bit of myself. I will have to improve, but I’m going to put everything into that game.”
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Boylesports World Grand Prix 2024 Day Three Results
Wednesday October 9
Second Round
Nathan Aspinall 2-3 Ryan Joyce
Rob Cross 3-1 Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries 3-1 Ricardo Pietreczko
Jonny Clayton 3-1 Ross Smith
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