Sports05 October, 20262 min read
Luke Humphries Beats Gerwyn Price 6-4 To Win World Grand Prix Final In Leicester
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Luke Humphries beat Gerwyn Price 6-4 to win the World Grand Prix in Leicester. He trailed 0-3 before a four-set rally and sealed the victory on double eight.
Humphries ends drought
Luke Humphries beat Gerwyn Price 6-4 in the World Grand Prix final in Leicester to claim his first major PDC title in 16 months. Humphries, the 31-year-old world number two, received £150,000 in prize money after trailing Price 0:3 and then winning four sets in a row. Gerwyn Price’s defeat extended his four-year title drought at major PDC tournaments, and Price also lost his fifth consecutive major tournament final.
Humphries retained second place in the world rankings ahead of Gian van Veen after the victory. Humphries told Sky Sports, "It's kind of like I needed this to give me a bit of confidence," as he described a "torrid 15 or 18 months" losing major finals.
From 3-0 to champion
Humphries completed a comeback from 3-0 down to beat Price 6-4 at the unique 'double-in, double-out' tournament in Leicester.
Humphries broke in the deciding leg of set five and then won three straight legs to be crowned champion, after Price levelled the score.
Humphries fired a 105 check-out in the fourth set to avoid falling further behind, and he later secured the title with a double eight.
Price had averaged 132 in the first set and raced into a 3-0 lead, but Humphries then won the next three sets to edge 4-3 ahead.
Price said, "I squandered so many opportunities. It was whoever took the opportunities and I missed quite a few at crucial times."
Ranking and next questions
Humphries’ win ensured he retained his number two ranking from the Netherlands' Gian van Veen, and it kept him ahead in the world standings. Price remained without a major title since the 2022 World Series Finals in Amsterdam, and the defeat left him extending his wait for another TV major. Sky Sports described the final as a comeback where Humphries rallied from 3-0 down to reel off six of the next seven sets at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
The Sky Sports report said Humphries posted a 93.16 average and fired 10 maximums in the topsy-turvy contest. Humphries said, "The sport is in such a special place that when you pick these trophies up they mean a lot more," as he reflected on the significance of the title.