Luke Humphries put in a much-improved display as his doubling prowess and a 10-dart finish secured a 3-0 rout of Jermaine Wattimena and a spot in the World Grand Prix quarter-finals. There were 3-1 victories for James Wade and Niels Zonneveld over Stephen Bunting and Gary Anderson, while Gian Van Veen came through a deciding-set cracker with Ryan Searle to triumph 3-2. Humphries - the title favourite after defending champion Luke Littler's shock defeat to Luke Woodhouse on the opening night - had averaged only 80 and gone at 26 per cent on his closing doubles in a scruffy 2-0 win over Dave Chisnall on Tuesday evening.
Two nights later, the 2023 champion and 2024 and 2025 runner-up averaged 94.11 and secured a finishing-double percentage of 64, although his starting-double percentage of 74 was the most eye-catching stat as he peppered double 16 early in legs. 'Cool Hand' - who will face Wattimena's fellow Dutchman Zonneveld in the last eight on Friday - hit his 10-darter at the start of the third set, while Wattimena twice hit the wrong double in the opening set. Humphries said afterwards: "I've got a good chance of winning this. At the moment I'm a bit up and down, but if I can put that right I'm going to be tough to beat.
"It wasn't the best performance, but it was a good performance. It was a lot better than it was on Tuesday. "I think I got in every time with my first three darts.
When you're doing stuff like that, it's going to take a top performance to beat you." Wade, meanwhile, delivered a starting masterclass to reach his eighth World Grand Prix quarter-final, hitting an opening shot of 160 five times during his 3-1 win over Bunting. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The sixth seed dropped his standards in the third set but was electric in the other three as he set up a meeting with Van Veen. Wade said: "I am so grateful as it is so hard to win with a double start.
We can play it cool and pretend to be relaxed but it is awful, it is hellish, really hard work. "I don't feel anywhere near my best but I am having to play better against better players. I have loads more gears to go - but talk is cheap.
Elsewhere, Searle - who landed a 167 checkout, the highest of the week - threw for the match against Van Veen after breaking the Dutchman with a finish of 100 in the fourth set, only to be broken straightaway in the deciding leg. Van Veen, who had led 2-0 in the penultimate set before being pegged back to 2-2, then blitzed the final set 3-0. The third seed said: "When I was 2-1 down in sets, I was like, 'oh no, this is not how I want to go out'.
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