How Humphries got here
Cool Hand has lost just five sets on his way to tonight’s final.
- Luke Humphries 2-0 Nathan Aspinall (first round)
- Luke Humphries 3-1 Krzysztof Ratajski (second round)
- Luke Humphries 3-1 Cameron Menzies (quarter-final)
- Luke Humphries 5-3 Danny Noppert (semi-final)
Elite company
Luke Humphries has joined an exclusive club by making tonight’s final.
The world No1 has reached the final of the World Grand Prix three times in a row!
Only Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have done that before.
Humphries beat Gerwyn Price two years ago and lost to Mike De Decker 12 months ago.
Head-to-head record
Luke Littler edges this match-up after 24 meetings.
‘I get too relaxed’
Luke Humphries came through a tense battle with Danny Noppert in the semi-final last night.
Cool Hand raced into the lead before the Dutchman staged a comeback.
Humphries held him off and has explained how he managed to re-find his range after a mid-match blip.
He said: “I just splashed my face with a bit of water and said, I’ve got to fire myself up.
“Sometimes the body gets a little bit too relaxed and I’m kind of just pushing the darts. I said to myself, ‘Now or never — you really have to show Danny you still want to win this.’
“Because if I come out 4–3 down thinking, ‘I’ve still got two sets, I can afford to lose this one,’ that’s the wrong mindset.
“I didn’t want to lose that set.
“I came out a bit more aggressive — come on, get my head on, get the energy level up and it seemed to work.”
Out for revenge
The last time Luke Littler played Luke Humphries, the teenage star won the New Zealand Masters final 8-4 in August.
But that was not enough to count as revenge for Littler as he brought up the 11-8 Premier League final defeat he suffered to Humphries in May.
He said: “That’s the last big one we met in, apart from New Zealand.
“But on the major stage, I owe him one tomorrow night.
“When it’s Luke Humphries in the opposite corner in a final, it feels even bigger.
“We’ve both beaten each other in major finals.
“But this one’s very different — double start.
“Whoever gets off first tomorrow probably wins.”
‘Biggest clash in darts’
We are nearly ready for the latest chapter of the two Luke rivalry.
And Littler knows it is the final everyone hoped for at the beginning of the week, saying: “I think me and Luke is the biggest game in darts.
“Whether it’s a final, a first round, or a semi-final, we bring the best out of each other.
“Another Luke vs Luke final doesn’t get boring.”
The Nuke’s comment comes after he labelled his match with last year’s champ Mike De Decker as “boring” due to the Belgian not playing his best.