Gerwyn Price. Michael Smith. Luke Humphries. Joe Cullen. One of these four men will finally scoop their first major victory of the 2023/24 darting season, after one of the most engaging, upset-filled tournaments in World Grand Prix history!
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Following on from defending Champion Michael Van Gerwen's Thursday night loss to 'Hollywood' Chris Dobey, 2020 champion Price heads into the weekend's crunch games as the overwhelming favourite, having not dropped a single set en-route to the semi-finals, and by virtue of being the only former champion still in the running in 2023's event.
On Saturday night in Leicester he will meet the only other man who can also say he has swept aside his opponents: Michael Smith's victories over Callan Rydz, Brendan Dolan and Andrew Gilding have seen him look like a completely transformed player, far from the man who prior to this year had an abysmal record at the event.
Both incredibly clinical on the outer ring, and wasting little time in 'starting' their games, Price vs Smith is the textbook definition of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and it will be intriguing to see which player finally gives in on the oche come Saturday evening.
Saturday night's other semi-final should be a high-scoring affair, as the number six seed Luke Humphries clashes with the former Masters champion Joe Cullen! Humphries is still chasing his first major, and was breathtakingly close to winning the World Series Finals only to be stopped by a clinical, 9-darter-throwing MVG. And whilst Humphries perhaps hasn't been as convincing as he would have liked to have been, particularly in the sudden death triumph over former World Champion Peter Wright, this is perhaps the best chance 'Cool Hand' has at winning a major as the World Championship approaches.
π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ Gerwyn Price has become the first player since 2016 to reach the World Grand Prix semi-finals without dropping a set.
β BoyleSports (@BoyleSports) October 6, 2023
π The Ice Man says he was disappointed that he even lost a leg this eveningβ¦#BoyleSportsWGP @OfficialPDC pic.twitter.com/nA5RL5NpvI
Joe Cullen meanwhile has quietly enjoyed one his best tournament runs in the last 18 months, with big wins over Mike De Decker, Ross Smith and the aforementioned Chris Dobey reminding us all that he is capable of beating truly anyone on the PDC circuit, and if the World Matchplay was any indicator, might have the edge over Price in the final should they meet.
The much-favoured final outcome looks to be Gerwyn Price vs Luke Humphries, who have met just five times in the last six years. Surprisingly, Humphries boasts a 3-2 lead in the head-to-heads, including victories on the previous two occasions. But there's a reason Gerwyn Price is the overwhelming favourite to hoist the Grand Prix trophy high on Sunday night: even if it has been nearly two years since the Welshman won a major, tournament momentum and history is on his side, and the other three men left in the competition know Price is the man to beat.
Who do YOU think will the 2023 PDC World Grand Prix? Let us know on our official social media channels and in the comments below!
By Jaspar Shepherdson
(@jasparshepmedia on X/Twitter and Instagram)
π Tournament double-in % of the semi-finalists -
β Darts Orakel (@DartsOrakel) October 7, 2023
βοΈ Humphries 53%
π Smith 42%
βοΈ Cullen 39%
π§ Price 37%
π Double out % -
π Smith 51%
π§ Price 49%
βοΈ Cullen 44%
βοΈ Humphries 40% pic.twitter.com/aE0v538YnQ
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