Humphries, Price and Smith Lead the Charge Into Grand Slam Knockouts

Former champions Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith were among the standout names to seal their spots in the knockout rounds of the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts on Monday, joining an already impressive last-16 lineup at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton.

Chris Dobey, Ricky Evans and Luke Woodhouse had booked their places earlier in the day, but Monday evening saw several of the sport’s biggest stars confirm qualification — led by world number one Luke Humphries.

Humphries continued his sparkling form with a 5–3 victory over Nathan Aspinall to top Group A and advance to Round Two. Fresh from his nine-dart finish on Sunday, the reigning world number one averaged 102.48 and never looked in danger, breaking with a ten-darter and adding a 12-dart hold to stamp his authority early on.

“I knew I had to start off really well,” said Humphries. “You know what you need to do. I needed one leg to go through, I knew that – but it didn’t affect me, I felt comfortable. It’s been a tough group, but I’m really happy to win all three matches. We’re in the business end now and the longer format suits me. I love playing the long format here.”

Humphries will now meet World Youth Championship runner-up Jurjen van der Velde in Wednesday’s last-16 clash, with the Dutch youngster progressing after a shock win over Damon Heta earlier in the night.

In the same group, Michael Smith produced a solid 5–2 victory against Alex Spellman to progress for the first time since lifting the title in 2022. Smith, who qualified for this year’s event through the Tour Card Holder Qualifier, rediscovered his rhythm when it mattered most and will now face Chris Dobey in the knockout rounds.

“I’m over the moon,” Smith admitted. “I’m through to the last 16 and I can finally relax now. I did my job getting the two points but I would have liked it to be 5–0 or 5–1. Now I’m in the last 16, I’m four games away from winning two Grand Slams. I could win this tournament, and I didn’t have that belief a couple of months ago.”

Three-time Grand Slam winner Gerwyn Price also eased through, producing a commanding 5–1 victory over Stefan Bellmont to finish top of Group D. Despite losing his opener to Ricky Evans, the Welshman rebounded with two strong wins to reach the last 16 for the seventh time.

“I had a slow start losing the first game, but to come through and top the group, I’m happy with that,” said Price. “I just wanted to qualify through the group stage and get through to the last 16.”

Price will next face Germany’s Martin Schindler, who finally broke new ground by advancing from the group stage for the first time in his career. Schindler defeated Alexis Toylo 5–2 to book his spot in Round Two, earning praise from Price ahead of their meeting. “I’ve played Martin a couple of times,” Price noted. “There’s a lot of boys in good form and he’s probably one of them.”

Elsewhere, Luke Woodhouse maintained his impressive Grand Slam record by beating Stephen Bunting 5–4 for the third consecutive time to top Group C. Bunting’s defeat — his third straight by that same margin — saw him eliminated, while Woodhouse advances to face Ricky Evans, who had already confirmed qualification with back-to-back wins before losing 5–2 to James Wade. Wade’s victory restored some pride but was not enough to progress.

Debutant Jurjen van der Velde produced one of the stories of the night, stunning Australian number one Damon Heta 5–3 to qualify for the last 16. The young Dutchman will now face Humphries, adding another chapter to a breakout season that has seen him reach multiple finals on the development circuit.

In Group B, Chris Dobey continued his flawless campaign by completing a third consecutive 5–1 win, this time over Martin Lukeman, to top the group with a perfect record. Dobey’s consistency has made him one of the players to watch heading into the knockouts.

The tournament continues on Tuesday with Groups E, F, G, and H set to conclude, and qualification still up for grabs in several pools. The evening’s headline tie will feature Michael van Gerwen against Gary Anderson — a clash between two of darts’ modern giants — with the winner guaranteed a place in the last 16.

Other decisive fixtures include Connor Scutt versus Karel Sedlacek for the remaining Group E spot, while Lukas Wenig meets Cam Crabtree in Group H as both aim to reach the knockout stage on debut. Group F remains finely poised, with Wessel Nijman facing Lisa Ashton and newly crowned European Champion Gian van Veen taking on Josh Rock in what promises to be a thrilling finale.

Defending champion Luke Littler has already sealed qualification for Round Two, though he will return looking to secure top spot in his group. Dutch duo Danny Noppert and Niko Springer will also seek to finish first in their respective groups as the Grand Slam reaches a crucial stage in Wolverhampton.

Humphries, Price and Smith Lead the Charge Into Grand Slam Knockouts

2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts

Monday November 10

Groups A-D Final Matches

James Wade 5-2 Ricky Evans (D)

Chris Dobey 5-1 Martin Lukeman (B)

Luke Woodhouse 5-4 Stephen Bunting (C)

Martin Schindler 5-2 Alexis Toylo (C)

Jurjen van der Velde 5-3 Damon Heta (B)

Gerwyn Price 5-1 Stefan Bellmont (D)

Michael Smith 5-2 Alex Spellman (A)

Luke Humphries 5-3 Nathan Aspinall (A)

Tuesday November 11 (1900 GMT)

Groups E-H Final Matches

Jonny Clayton v Danny Noppert (H)

Niko Springer v Beau Greaves (G)

Luke Littler v Daryl Gurney (E)

Lukas Wenig v Cam Crabtree (H)

Connor Scutt v Karel Sedlacek (E)

Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson (G)

Wessel Nijman v Lisa Ashton (F)

Gian van Veen v Josh Rock (F)

Wednesday November 12 (1900 GMT)

4x Second Round

Luke Woodhouse v Ricky Evans

Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler

Luke Humphries v Jurjen van der Velde

Chris Dobey v Michael Smith

Best of 19 legs