Humphries Beats Aspinall At World Grand Prix

World number one Luke Humphries opened his Boyle Sports World Grand Prix campaign with a 2-0 victory over Nathan Aspinall at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, overcoming Aspinall’s 170 checkout and landing a tournament-defining 156 finish to seal the second set. Humphries, the 2023 World Grand Prix champion and recent finalist, will meet Krzysztof Ratajski in round two after Ratajski beat Martin Schindler 2-0. Opening-night shocks included Joe Cullen upsetting James Wade and Cameron Menzies defeating Chris Dobey. Rob Cross survived a final-leg decider with Wessel Nijman, Danny Noppert edged Jermaine Wattimena, Gary Anderson beat Raymond van Barneveld and Stephen Bunting defeated Niko Springer. The event’s double-in, double-out format and missed doubles proved decisive in several matches, producing multiple last-leg deciders. Overall five seeds progressed as the tournament moved into the last 16, with several top-10 players tested and a number of seeded exits or scares.