Mike De Decker held off an incredible comeback from Luke Humphries to become the 2024 World Grand Prix champion.

The Real Deal made a lightning start to the contest, going 4-1 up and needing just two sets to win the title. However, the world number one, and winner of this 12 months ago, produced a stunning spell of darts to win the next three sets to level the match.

However, The Real Deal lived up to his moniker, defying Cool Hand the chance to become the first player since Michael van Gerwen in 2018 and 2019 to win the World Grand Prix back to back, as he took the ninth and 10th set to finally get over the line 6-4 in an absorbing contest.

De Decker is now the second Belgian to win a ranked TV title, after Dimitri Van den Bergh became the first at the 2020 World Matchplay. Incidentally, Humphries’ only two losses in ranked televised finals in 2024 have come against players from Belgium, after he fell short in a last leg decider to Dimitri Van den Bergh at the UK Open in March.

De Decker flies out of the gate

Humphries broke in the opening leg, before a double double 18 finish to win the second. De Decker thought fought back, winning the next two legs to force a decider. However, he missed double 10 for the opening set, allowing Cool Hand to ping tops for a 55 finish to break in sets and go 1-0 in front.

Both held and broke in the second set, forcing another decider. Both missed darts for it, before The Real Deal found double 12 to equalise. That seemed to inspire the Belgian, as he whitewashed the third set to take the lead for the first time.

Despite Humphries winning the first leg of the fourth, De Decker continued to remain cool under pressure. A double double 19 finish, followed by a double 16 and an astonishing 154 outshot, gave the Belgian the fourth set in 44 darts.

De Decker won the first two legs of the fifth set, but it changed in the third leg. The Belgian missed six darts for a 4-1 lead, allowing Humphries to eventually ping double two to extend the set. Cool Hand then held to level, but The Real Deal held his composure in the fifth leg, pinging double 16 to move 4-1 in front.

Humphries fights back but De Decker lifts World Grand Prix title

Cool Hand missed eight darts in the first two legs of set six, which gave De Decker a 2-0 lead, needing one more to go within one of the title. However, Humphries found an incredible 149 checkout, followed by an astonishing 152 outshot, with his opponent on a two darter both times. The Newbury ace then hit 50 to half the deficit to 4-2.

The world number one then won the first two legs of set seven, and despite an amazing 156 outshot from De Decker to take leg three, he missed two darts to equalise and force a decider on his own thrown. Cool Hand, who missed tops the previous visit, found it the next time to reduce the gap to 4-3.

The Real Deal responded at the start of set eight, hitting the bull on a 90 outshot to break. However, he took eight darts at double to get in in both legs two and three, allowing Humphries to break straight back and then hold to go in front in the set. De Decker held to force a decider, but having missed the bull for a 170 Big Fish to claim the set in leg four, Humphries found double 16 to complete the comeback and level the match at 4-4.

Both held to start set nine, before De Decker held in leg three. Humphries though took five darts to get in in leg four, and he paid for it, as De Decker pinged tops for an 80 outshot to finally go within one of the title.

Both held again in the opening two legs of the tenth, however, back to back 180s from De Decker, followed by a 71 outshot, gave the Belgian an 11 dart break to go within one leg of victory. Humphries though did not buckle, hitting double 10 to force a deciding leg.

In that deciding leg, De Decker hit a 180 to leave 55, and then found tops to complete the week of his life and lift the World Grand Prix title.

World Grand Prix Final Result

Sunday 13 October – Mattioli Arena, Leicester

Mike De Decker 6-4 Luke Humphries