In an exhilarating showdown at the Nordic Darts Masters, Luke Humphries and Jonny Clayton both emerged victorious in tense final-leg shootouts, while Luke Littler advanced despite not showcasing his best form. All eight elite PDC players successfully moved on to the quarter-finals held in Copenhagen.
World No. 1 Humphries faced Latvia’s Madars Razma, edging the match 6-5 in a nail-biting finale. After a critical maximum and a stunning 125 checkout in the deciding leg, Humphries secured his place, marking his first appearance since clinching his inaugural Premier League title just over a week ago. Despite a 5-2 lead, Razma staged a comeback, capitalizing on four missed match darts from Humphries. Next, Humphries will go head-to-head with defending champion Gerwyn Price, who advanced with a 6-3 victory over Norway’s Cor Dekker.
Jonny Clayton prevailed despite two missed match darts from his opponent in Denmark.
Jonny Clayton had a thrilling encounter, too, posting a remarkable 170 finish but faced a tougher battle than Humphries. Clayton survived two missed match darts from Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas while missing four of his own before finally sealing his victory with a decisive dart at D5. He’ll meet top seed Stephen Bunting, who comfortably defeated Oskar Lukasiak 6-3.
Littler Battles Through
The round of 16 featured a mix of PDC veterans and rising Nordic and Baltic players. Reigning world champion Luke Littler, a strong tournament favorite, faced Sweden’s Viktor Tingstrom. Littler started slowly, averaging in the 70s during the initial two legs, but found his rhythm, notably scoring a 12-dart break in the seventh leg to win 6-3.
Luke Littler managed to advance in the tournament despite a rocky start in Copenhagen.
However, patches of poor performance with scores as low as 30 and nine restricted Littler to an average of only 90.19. He’ll need to elevate his game for the upcoming quarter-final against Nathan Aspinall, who delivered a dominant 6-0 win over local hero Benjamin Reus.
Aspinall, fresh from his recent European Darts Open victory in Germany, faced a mixed reception from the crowd. Yet, he demonstrated impressive finishing skills, highlighted by checkouts of 138 and 92 following consecutive darts at D18. Unfortunately for Reus, he was unable to convert any of his five attempts at a double, leaving him winless in the tournament.
Nathan Aspinall executed a 6-0 victory against Benjamin Reus, a stark contrast to Reus’s earlier performances in the tournament.
The final quarter-final matchup will see Chris Dobey take on Rob Cross, with Dobey defeating Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2 and Cross edging past Andreas Harrysson 6-4. Harrysson, fresh off noteworthy wins against former world champions, presented a stout challenge to Cross, but Voltage clinched victory with consecutive D18 finishes.
Nordic Darts Masters – Round One Results
- Chris Dobey 6-2 Jeffrey de Graaf
- Gerwyn Price 6-3 Cor Dekker
- Rob Cross 6-4 Andreas Harrysson
- Luke Humphries 6-5 Madars Razma
- Nathan Aspinall 6-0 Benjamin Reus
- Luke Littler 6-3 Viktor Tingstrom
- Stephen Bunting 6-3 Oskar Lukasiak
- Jonny Clayton 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Upcoming Nordic Darts Masters Schedule
Quarter-finals (from 6 PM, Saturday)
- Stephen Bunting vs Jonny Clayton
- Luke Littler vs Nathan Aspinall
- Rob Cross vs Chris Dobey
- Gerwyn Price vs Luke Humphries
Semi-finals and finals to follow
Tune into the World Cup of Darts
The World Cup of Darts, taking place from June 12-15 in Frankfurt, will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Humphries and Littler aim to defend the title for England after their success last year. Following that, don’t miss the World Matchplay happening in Blackpool from July 19-27, where Humphries will strive to defend his title after beating Michael van Gerwen in the 2024 final at the Winter Gardens.
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