James Wade and Nathan Aspinall put in statement performances that will have made their semi-final opponents take note ahead of a mouthwatering Saturday night line-up at the World Grand Prix. Aspinall threatened to set a new tournament record average when storming to a 3-0 win over Ryan Joyce, his 105.15 mark ultimately landing as the fourth-highest in history and the best-ever in a quarter-final. Wade, meanwhile, dropped only one leg as he, in his words, "bashed up" world No 2 Gian van Veen in a match that lasted little more than 20 minutes.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "That really was a performance to remember from Wade," Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle said. "From start to finish, he was absolutely devastating. World Class." Three-time world champion John Part concurred with that assesment, saying: "James is not just looking like a great dart thrower to me, he's looking like a winner.
"I really have a lot of faith in James managing the other players, and that's what winners do. They see what they have to work with, and work against. "At the start of the match, James saw his opponent struggling and put his foot down to get the job done.
"I think he's a legitimate title contender here." Wade will face former world No 1 Luke Humphries in the final four, who was, by contrast, far from convincing despite the 3-0 scoreline from his quarter-final victory over debutant Neils Zonneveld. Humphries averaged 85.91, the same as the Dutchmand, but his clutch doubling ultimately proved the difference as the 2023 champion reached the final four for a fourth-straight year. Despite that, Humphries told Sky Sports afterwards: "I'm really disappointed.
I felt really good in practice, but I came out here tonight and it didn't feel great to be honest. "It kind of felt like I was the second-best player for the first two sets, but I got away with it. "It's one of those performances where you're not thrilled, but I won 3-0.
"Hopefully tomorrow night is a lot better, because if it isn't I won't be here on Sunday." Humphries added on his semi-final opponent: "James [Wade] is a tough task in itself. He's a tough player to play against. "If I score the way I know I can, then it will be a tough night for James.
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