Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries are set to lock horns in a heavyweight showdown for the World Grand Prix title after coming through contrasting semi-final encounters at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
Both former champions are hunting for their second titles in the prestigious double-start tournament, with Sunday evening’s showpiece offering a high-stakes rematch of the 2023 final. On that occasion, it was Humphries who emerged victorious with a 5-2 victory over the Welshman to claim the coveted trophy. Now, three years later, both players find themselves fighting not just for the prestigious title, but also to bring an end to significant individual major trophy droughts.
Humphries enters the final looking for his first premier title since lifting the Premier League trophy in 2025, while Price’s last major individual silverware dates all the way back to the 2022 World Series of Darts Finals. The final itself will be played over the best of 11 sets, requiring the winner to reach six sets. Humphries will undoubtedly be hoping for a better fortune in the final than he experienced in the previous two editions of the tournament, having suffered defeats in the final stages to Mike De Decker in 2024 and Luke Littler in 2025 respectively.
The path to Sunday’s climax was far from straightforward, particularly for Price, whose 5-2 semi-final victory over Nathan Aspinall was overshadowed by mid-match tension on the darting stage.
Price Prevails After Being Frustrated by Aspinall Antics
Price initially romped into a commanding 3-0 lead over Aspinall, demonstrating ruthless scoring efficiency by peeling off two sublime 13-darters followed by a clinical 15-darter to sweep the opening set. He then maintained his momentum by breaking ‘The Asp’ in a tense deciding leg of the second set to put himself firmly in control of the contest.
The third set followed the throw until the crucial fourth leg, where Aspinall suffered a bout of misfortune and profligacy, missing six crucial darts to hold his throw, including two painful misses at double one. Price ruthlessly capitalized on the opening, pinning double ten to extend his advantage to 3-0 in sets.
The contest seemed destined for a whitewash when Price immediately broke throw in 14 darts at the start of the fourth set. However, Aspinall displayed immense resilience by winning back-to-back legs with sharp darts at double 16 around a couple of missed opportunities. He then dramatically clawed a set back with a stunning, high-pressure 132 checkout that featured two brilliant bullseyes, reigniting the contest and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The 2022 runner-up Aspinall carried that momentum forward, claiming the fifth set against the throw to further narrow the deficit. But Price responded with characteristic professionalism, taking the sixth set against the throw to move within just one set of victory. Though Aspinall briefly threatened another comeback by breaking in the seventh set, Price hit back immediately, breaking his opponent twice in a row to seal his place in the final.
Speaking in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, a visibly candid Price admitted that he had been frustrated by Aspinall’s interactions with the Leicester crowd during the match.
"I was a upset with him a little bit. I said, ‘they’re on your side bud, I’m up against it’," Price revealed. "As good as the crowd is for me, they were all for him. He’s performing a little bit on stage. I’m good friends with Nathan, but sometimes you’ve the let your darts go. It did [affect my game]."
While Price was battling past Aspinall, the second semi-final saw Luke Humphries deliver a methodical and clinical performance to end James Wade’s hopes of securing a third World Grand Prix crown, and his first since 2010.
Humphries secured the crucial sixth set on his own throw, breaking a fascinating pattern in a match where the first five sets had all been won by the player throwing second. Wade, showcasing the trademark resilience and heavy finishing that has earned him the nickname ‘The Machine’, produced the standout checkout of the match with a brilliant 141 finish in the second set.
Wade followed that up by taking the next stanza to keep the pressure on the world-class reigning elite. However, Humphries proved simply unstoppable down the stretch. The 2023 champion slammed the door shut in the eighth set by firing in back-to-back 137s to break Wade’s throw, safely navigating two holds of throw either side to wrap up a hard-fought 5-3 victory and secure his fourth consecutive appearance in a major final.
The stage is now set for a compelling battle between two of the sport’s modern heavyweights, with the title, the trophy, and an end to their respective silverware droughts firmly on the line in Leicester.