Gerwyn Price says he is “not scared of anybody” and “here to win” as he prepares for a blockbuster World Grand Prix quarter-final against Luke Littler on Friday night.
Price swept Josh Rock 3-0 to reach the last eight, after Littler had recorded the same scoreline to beat defending champion Mike De Decker in Leicester.
Littler clinched his win with a 170 finish but was not quite as electric as he had been in his opening-round victory over Gian van Veen on Tuesday evening.
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John Part thinks Luke Littler will be ‘entirely focused’ on Gerwyn Price and no fooling around in their quarter-final at the World Grand Prix
Price, aiming to become Grand Prix champion for the second time after victory in 2020, said: “I really wan to have a game against Luke [Littler]. I think I need to up my scoring game but if I put him under pressure it will be a good game.
“He is playing well – I can’t take that away from him – but I am here to win. I am not scared of anybody. The key is that I don’t care who I play. I play the board, not the player.
“I know if I play my A-game, nine times out of 10 I will win. I think all the other players are scared of [Littler] before they get on the board, like with Phil Taylor years ago.
“If I turn up, I will win. If I don’t it will be a tough game and I’ll probably lose.
“Luke was fantastic in his first game against Gian [Van Veen]. He wasn’t so good in his game [against Mike De Decker] so I hope he plays as bad as that!”
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Highlights of Luke Littler’s second-round clash with defending champion Mike De Decker
Humphries preparing for ‘best version’ of Menzies
Also on Friday, world No 1 Luke Humphries will face unseeded Scot Cameron Menzies, who has picked up the scalps of Chris Dobey and Rob Cross across the first two rounds of the World Grand Prix.
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Luke Humphries pins a 134 in his World Grand Prix round two match with Krzysztof Ratajski
Humphries said: “Cameron is a funny player. Sometimes he’s just unplayable but sometimes he’s just not there. You don’t really know which version you’re going to get of him, but I’m planning on playing the best version.
“If you think that you’re going to play a not good version then you can come unstuck. Every person I play, I always think I’m going to play their A-game.”
Menzies quit his job as a plumber five months ago to take the plunge full-time in darts.
The 36-year-old, who won Players Championship 11 in April, said: “I never thought I would get this far so maybe I need to start believing in myself.
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Cameron Menzies turned on the style to dump Chris Dobey out of the World Grand Prix
“I hate looking too far ahead because every time I do, I fail. But I feel like I have no pressure now because I’ve done better than I thought. What a difference a year makes!
“It’s my dream to be professional, I’m in a lucky place. But you’ve got a lot of young kids these days that are banging averages that I could only dream of at that age. I don’t know how long I’ve got left in this game.”
Anderson complimentary of ‘The Freeze’
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Gary Anderson joked the last time John Part backed him to win something he won the Worlds
Also on Friday, Gary Anderson will face “overlooked” Dutchman Danny Noppert, a player he is highly complimentary of.
“Danny is the most overlooked playing going,” Anderson said. “Danny is a cracking player, he plods on and if you give him a sniff he’s going to take it.
“He’s a classy player, solid. He may not bang in your 115, 116 averages but he’s always there knocking on the door. A great lad as well.”
Former champion Jonny Clayton says his run to the last eight has been a “wake-up call” with Dirk van Duijvenbode awaiting him.
The Dutchman is into his second World Grand Prix quarter-final since his run to the final in 2020.
“I need a better performance than that tomorrow. Dirk is playing well but I know what I have to do,” said ‘The Ferret’.
“I struggled so hopefully that is my wake-up call. If we go back 12-14 months ago my darts would have been in the crowd.”
What’s happening on Friday at the World Grand Prix?
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Highlights of the INCREDIBLE clash between Littler and Van Veen
Reigning world champion Littler faces 2020 Grand Prix champion Price, while Humphries, who remains on course for a third consecutive appearance in the final, meets Menzies.
Anderson, into his first World Grand Prix quarter-final in five years, plays 2021 semi-finalist Noppert, with 2021 Grand Prix winner Clayton taking on 2020 runner-up Van Duijvenbode.
Friday’s quarter-finals
Live from 7pm on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event
- Danny Noppert vs Gary Anderson
- Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Jonny Clayton
- Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price
- Luke Humphries vs Cameron Menzies
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