World Series of Darts Final 2024 - Report Second Day
VAN GERWEN & HUMPHRIES TO MEET IN QUARTER-FINALS IN AMSTERDAM
Reigning Champion Michael van Gerwen will clash with Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Jack's World Series of Darts Finals, with both producing dazzling displays on Saturday at the AFAS Live in Amsterdam.In an all-Dutch clash with Danny Noppert, Van Gerwen looked imperious as he fired an 106.17 average in a 6-3 victory.
Humphries was equally impressive in his victory - averaging 106.09 - despite being taken to a last-leg decider in a 6-5 win over Damon Heta.
In front of a sell out crowd at AFAS Live, Van Gerwen fired seven maximums and landed 60 per cent of his double attempts to brush aside Noppert.
It was a vast improvement from his laboured first round performance which saw him average just 86 against Jonny Clayton.
"It was a hard battle against Danny, he is a phenomenal player," said Van Gerwen. "Yesterday I underperformed big time but tonight was a different Michael. "To win in front of my kids and my wife means a lot to me, it gives me a lot of energy and it's important for them to see what I do sometimes." "My record against Luke is poor, but I feel good and think I can do a lot of damage tomorrow."
Humphries was made to work a lot harder for his victory over Heta. It was looking routine as he moved into a 5-3 lead with the darts in hand. Heta dug deep, however, and dragged himself level at 5-5 with legs of 14 and 13 darts. But a stunning 10-darter from Humphries pushed him over the line and into the last eight.
"Damon said he wanted a bit of fight from me and that's what I gave him," said the world number one.
"Sometimes the emotion comes out of me and he fired me up tonight.
"It was a fantastic game of darts and to hit a ten-dart leg under pressure in the decider shows the resolve I've got."
Rob Cross, a winner at June's New York Darts Masters, ended the home hopes of Kevin Doets as he fought back from 5-3 down. A stunning 161 checkout from Cross, with Doets having missed four darts for the match, levelled things at 5-5, before sneaking over the line in a last leg decider.
There was more Dutch disappointment in the second game of the night as Raymond van Barneveld crashed out to Luke Littler in a 6-4 defeat.
The reigning Bahrain and Poland Darts Master, who idolised Van Barneveld as a youngster, was rarely troubled as he set up a quarter-final clash with Chris Dobey.
It was another impressive display from Dobey in the night opener - seeing off Croatia's Boris Krcmar 6-4 with a 103 average.
More disappointment for the home crowd came in the final game of the night, as Wessel Nijman suffered a similar fate to Doets - letting a 5-3 lead slip to Michael Smith who snuck into the last four.
Elsewhere, Daryl Gurney reached his second TV quarter-final of the year as he beat a lacklustre Gerwyn Price 6-3.
Peter Wright also continued his resurgence as he breezed past Canada's Jeff Smith 6-2.
Sunday will see the quarter-finals take place in the afternoon ahead of the semi-finals and final in the decisive evening session. A limited number of tickets for the Jack's World Series of Darts Finals are available via SeeTickets.