The fixture schedule and results for the World Grand Prix in Leicester as Luke Humphries defends his title; watch the world No 1 take on Mike De Decker in the final, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ from 8pm on Sunday
Sunday 13 October 2024 23:26, UK
All you need to know as the World Grand Prix reaches its climax, with world No 1 and defending champion Luke Humphries taking on Mike De Decker in the final, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ from 8pm on Sunday.
Humphries swept Ryan Joyce 5-0 in Saturday's semi-final, a dominant performance that Sky Sports' Wayne Mardle hoped De Decker - who beat fellow Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh 5-2 - wasn't watching.
"This guy is a completely different breed," Mardle said of Humphries. "It's not always about averages, it's about how easy he made it look, what he did when he had to do it.
"Ryan Joyce played his A-game and lost 5-0. That's how good Luke Humphries was. I'm in awe.
"Only Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have come close to that effortlessness of doing it. This guy is doing it day in, day out. I hope Mike De Decker didn't watch that!"
Humphries has drawn comparisons to former darting great, and 16-time world champion, Phil Taylor all week, and after his final-four win over Joyce, he said his opponent was another to comment on the likeliness.
"I am capable of these big performances," Humphries said. "It felt special. I wanted to average 100... and I did it.
"Ryan actually said to me it was like playing Phil Taylor. He said I'm a generational talent.
"If I can win tomorrow, that would mean a lot. Nine major finals - that's incredible!"
De Decker, meanwhile, will play his first televised final on Sunday, and just his fourth match in total on TV this year. He got the better of two-time world champion Gary Anderson in the second round and two-time World Grand Prix champion James Wade in the quarter-finals.
A dramatic week saw Luke Littler, Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen crash out in the first round, with the likes of Anderson and Gerwyn Price also defeated in the second round.
2024 BoyleSports World Grand Prix
Monday October 7
8x First Round matches
Josh Rock 0-2 Ryan Joyce
Brendan Dolan 0-2 Martin Schindler
Jonny Clayton 2-0 Ritchie Edhouse
Nathan Aspinall 2-1 Ryan Searle
Raymond van Barneveld 1-2 Ricardo Pietreczko
Luke Humphries 2-1 Stephen Bunting
Rob Cross 2-1 Luke Littler
Gian van Veen 0-2 Ross Smith
Tuesday October 8
8x First Round matches
Dave Chisnall 2-0 Cameron Menzies
Luke Woodhouse 1-2 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Mike De Decker 2-1 Damon Heta
Peter Wright 1-2 James Wade
Gerwyn Price 2-1 Danny Noppert
Michael Smith 1-2 Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen 0-2 Daryl Gurney
Chris Dobey 1-2 Joe Cullen
Wednesday October 9
4x Second Round matches
Nathan Aspinall 2-3 Ryan Joyce
Rob Cross 3-1 Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries 3-1 Ricardo Pietreczko
Jonny Clayton 3-1 Ross Smith
Thursday October 10 (7pm)
4x Second Round matches
Gary Anderson 0-3 Mike De Decker
Gerwyn Price 0-3 James Wade
Daryl Gurney 2-3 Joe Cullen
Dave Chisnall 1-3 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Friday October 11 (7pm)
Quarter-finals
Mike De Decker 3-0 James Wade
Rob Cross 2-3 Ryan Joyce
Luke Humphries 3-1 Jonny Clayton
Joe Cullen 1-3 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Saturday October 12 (8.30pm)
Semi-finals
Mike De Decker 5-2 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Luke Humphries 5-0 Ryan Joyce
Sunday October 13 (8pm)
Final
Luke Humphries vs Mike De Decker
The World Grand Prix is an annual PDC tournament that was founded in 1998. It is the fourth of seven ranked majors during the year and the third-longest running televised event in the calendar.
It is the only double-start tournament in the PDC calendar, whereby players must both start and finish on a double (or bullseye). A player will only start scoring points in a leg once they hit a double, with the points value of the double counting as the first scoring dart.
It is a straight knockout tournament with a set-play format, where each set is contested over the best of five legs.
Brendan Dolan was the first player to throw a nine-dart leg at the World Grand Prix in 2011 in the double-start format.
The Northern Irishman, who adopted the nickname 'The History Maker' after the tournament, hit double 20, followed by six treble 20s, treble 17 and bullseye to complete the perfect leg.
More history was made in 2014 when James Wade and Robert Thornton both threw nine-dart legs in their second-round clash.
Phil Taylor is the most-successful player in the tournament's history, having won 11 titles before retiring in 2017.
Michael van Gerwen won his sixth title in 2022, while Luke Humphries is the reigning champion.
Other previous winners are Daryl Gurney (2017), Robert Thornton (2015), James Wade (2010 and 2007), Colin Lloyd (2004) and Alan Warriner (2001).
Following the conclusion of the first round, the last 16 will take place across Wednesday October 9 and Thursday October 10, before the quarter-finals are staged on Friday October 11.
However, in a change to last year's format, Saturday's semi-finals on October 12 will be contested over the best of nine sets, with the final set to be played over the best of 11 sets on Sunday October 13.
Live darts returns to Sky Sports with the BoyleSports World Grand Prix in Leicester from October 7-13, featuring some of the sport's very biggest stars.
The annual £600,000 tournament will take place at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester from October 7-13, as 32 of the world's top stars compete for the coveted title which was won by Humphries.
Then in November, the Grand Slam of Darts will be hosted in Wolverhampton as Humphries looks to defend another title.
Attention then turns to the turn of the year and the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, beginning on December 15, as the darts calendar continues to provide excitement throughout the year - and you can enjoy the very best here live on Sky Sports.
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and so much more.
