Luke Humphries defeats Luke Littler on way to claiming Czech Darts Open title

Humphries took the £30,000 top prize with a crushing 8-1 victory over Kim Huybrechts in the Prague final

Pa Sport Staff
Monday 21 October 2024 02:59 EDT
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Luke Humphries was a winner in Prague (Martin Rickett/PA)
Luke Humphries was a winner in Prague (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Wire)

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World number one Luke Humphries claimed the Czech Darts Open title after getting past Luke Littler and then thrashing Kim Huybrechts in Prague.

Humphries took the £30,000 top prize with a crushing 8-1 victory over Belgian Huybrechts in which he averaged 105.57.

That followed a compelling 7-4 semi-final win against Littler, whose run to that point had included posting averages of 110.43, a new tournament record, when beating Nathan Aspinall 6-1 on Saturday, then 116.51 to break the record in a 6-3 victory over Damon Heta, and 110.57 in a stunning 6-1 triumph against Michael van Gerwen.

When Humphries took on the 17-year-old star – the player he defeated to become world champion in January – in the last four the averages were 108.56 and 106.73 respectively.

Humphries had previously beaten Ritchie Edhouse on Saturday, and then Gian van Veen and Mike De Decker, to whom he had lost in last week’s World Grand Prix final.

And he said in quotes on pdc.tv: “When I beat Ritchie Edhouse on Saturday I felt good, but I felt I needed a spark, and I found it today.

“When I beat Gian I felt that spark again, but I still know there’s another level in me, and I believe I can get better.

“It’s nice to bounce back (from the World Grand Prix), because when you lose in major finals it’s not easy; it does hurt you, so this a nice way to finish my ProTour season.

“I’m going to come back next year and I’m going to work harder. I’m going to change things and I’m going to win more – that’s my commitment to the game!”

Littler’s quarter-final win against Van Gerwen saw the Dutchman set a new record, with his 112.19 the highest losing average in European Tour history.

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