“LUKE HUMPHRIES had the hump as he crashed out of the PDC World Darts Championship – and failed to fulfil his pre-tournament vow. Cool Hand Luke, 30, said in November after losing in the Grand Slam of Darts final that he was going to “war” with rival Luke Littler and he would WIN the world”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
Cool Hand Luke, 30, said in November after losing in the Grand Slam of Darts final that he was going to “war” with rival Luke Littler and he would WIN the world title in the New Year.
Thank you!
Luke Humphries was dumped out of the World Darts Championship at the quarter-final stageCredit: Reuters
Gian van Veen comprehensively beat the Leeds throwerCredit: PA Yet that promise never materialised on the biggest stage and he was eliminated from the quarter-final stage for the fourth time in five visits, going down 5-1 to No10 seed Gian van Veen.
Humphries’s Van Veen hoodoo continued as he lost for the fifth successive time to the Dutchman, 23, who has been the most consistent player of the tournament thus far.
Unusually, the 2024 world champion expressed his frustrations with himself and his performance as he was overwhelmed on the Ally Pally oche.
Having been replaced as the world No1 this autumn, Humphries will need to regroup ahead of the Premier League title defence, which starts in February.
Van Veen, the reigning two-time world youth champion, is into the semi-finals for the first time in what is just his third tournament appearance.
The former aviation logistics worker will now play Gary Anderson, a two-time winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy, over the best of 11 sets in the semi-finals on Friday.
Provisionally he is the new world No3 and having won the European title in October, he is a guaranteed member of the Premier League.
The Giant impressively averaged 105.41, hit 11 180s and took out checkouts of 170, 124 and 120.
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Van Veen said: “This smile won’t go away from my face for the next 24 hours.
“I felt really, really good today. I saw a 105 average and that sums up how I felt. Indescribable.
“Luke is a fantastic player. Whenever I play Luke, we all know we have to play at our best. Luckily it came out today.
“The first sets I felt comfortable but he was better scoring-wise. He missed crucial darts and I took chances.
“I’d say 100 per cent this is my biggest win. This is bigger than the European Championship. I’m so proud.
“As a Dutchman when I started playing darts, Michael van Gerwen was the Dutch No1.
“You always knew he would be the No1 of our country. You just hope to be No2. That is the dream.
“It feels nice maybe to be above him in the rankings but for Dutch people, Michael van Gerwen will always be our No1. For now I am higher in the rankings.
“I should be in the Premier League now. I’m looking forward to that. I look forward to the semis against my idol.”
Humphries struggled to find his best form when it matteredCredit: Reuters
Van Veen has Cool Hand’s numberCredit: PA
LUK OUT!