Defending champion Luke Humphries was pushed to the limit before securing his place in the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship, narrowly avoiding a dramatic decider against Germany's Gabriel Clemens on Sunday evening.
Humphries Holds Nerve in Tense Alexandra Palace Battle
The world number two, who triumphed at Alexandra Palace in 2024, looked to be cruising towards a comfortable victory after establishing a commanding lead. Humphries took the opening two sets with ease before clinching a tight third, putting him on the brink of a straightforward passage.
However, the match was turned on its head by a moment of brilliance from Clemens. A stunning 125 checkout, finished with a bullseye, 25, and another bullseye, ignited a remarkable fightback from the German underdog. Clemens, averaging an impressive 101.49, suddenly found his range and won the next two sets to reduce the deficit to 3-2, sending shockwaves through the iconic venue.
Deciding Set Drama Sees Cool Hand Luke Through
The tension reached its peak in the sixth set. With the score poised at 2-2 in the set, Clemens was presented with a golden opportunity to force a final-set shootout, but he missed three crucial darts to level the match. Humphries, showing the steel of a champion, capitalised on the reprieve to seal a 4-2 victory, celebrating with a roar of immense relief.
"When I had that double to go 3-0 up I thought I had control," Humphries told Sky Sports afterwards. "Gabriel got a lot better and really made me work hard for it. If that double hadn’t gone in and it had been 3-3… I’m panicking. For me to get that double... it means a lot. That could be the difference between being a two-time world champion and not."
Van Gerwen and Anderson Set Up Classic Showdown
Elsewhere on a thrilling day of third-round action, three-time champion Michael van Gerwen produced his best performance of the tournament so far to dispatch Germany's Arno Merk 4-1. Van Gerwen averaged 99.7 in a dominant display, though he later claimed he was not fully tested. "Was it a contest? Not for me," said the Dutchman. "I played too well today for him. I think I had more in my power if I wanted to but I didn’t need it."
His victory sets up a mouth-watering last-16 clash with Scottish veteran Gary Anderson. The two-time champion, aged 55, held his nerve in a dramatic deciding set to edge out Jermaine Wattimena 4-3. In a nail-biting finale, Anderson missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish before eventually sealing the win, with Wattimena having saved four match darts in total.
The day's other results saw former winner Rob Cross whitewash Damon Heta 4-0 to book a meeting with reigning champion Luke Littler. Devon's Ryan Searle beat German number one Martin Schindler 4-0, while Dutch prospect Gian van Veen impressed in a 4-1 win over Madars Razma.
The action at Ally Pally was watched by a host of sporting stars, including Tottenham's James Maddison and Ryder Cup golfers Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton.
