Gerwin Price said he was “afraid of no one” and “came here to win” as he prepared for his blockbuster World Grand Prix quarter-final against Luke Littler on Friday night.
Price swept Josh Rock 3-0 to reach the last eight. This after Littler equaled the score to beat defending champion Mike De Decker in Leicester.
Littler came away with a win at 170, but not as enthusiastically as he did in his opening-round win over Gian van Veen on Tuesday evening.
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John Part thinks Luke Littler will be ‘fully focused’ on Gerwyn Price and not mess around in the World Grand Prix quarter-finals.
Price, who is aiming to become the second Grand Prix champion after winning in 2020, said, “I really want to compete with Luke (Littler). I think I need to improve my scoring ability, but if I put pressure on Luke, it will be a good match.”
“He’s playing well. I can’t take that away from him, but I’m here to win. I’m not scared of anyone. The important thing is I don’t care who I play. I play the board, not the player.”
“If I bring my A game, I know nine times out of 10 I’m going to win. I think other players are afraid of (Littler) before he gets on the board like Phil Taylor did a few years ago.
“If I show up, I will win. If not, it will be a tough game and I will probably lose.
“Luke was fantastic in his first match against Gian (Van Veen). He wasn’t that good in his match (against Mike De Decker) so I hope he plays that badly!”
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Highlights from the second round match between Luke Littler and defending champion Mike De Decker
Humphreys preparing Menzies’ ‘best version’
Also on Friday, world number one Luke Humphries will face unseeded Scottish Cameron Menzies, who beat Chris Dovey and Rob Cross in the first two rounds of the World Grand Prix.
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Luke Humphries shoots 134 in his World Grand Prix second round match against Krzysztof Ratajski.
Humphries said: “Cameron is a fun player. Sometimes he can’t play, sometimes he’s not there. You don’t really know what version of him you’re going to get, but I plan on playing the best version.
“It doesn’t freak me out if I think I’m going to play a bad version. I think everyone I play will always bring their A game.”
Menzies quit his job as a plumber five months ago to focus on darts.
“I guess I have to believe in myself because I never thought I would get this far,” said the 36-year-old, who won the Players Championship 11 in April.
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Cameron Menzies changed his style to oust Chris Dobey from the World Grand Prix.
“I don’t like looking too far ahead because it means I fail every time I try. But I did better than I thought, so I don’t feel any pressure now. What a difference a year makes!
“It’s my dream to be a pro. I’m in a lucky place, but these days there are a lot of young kids who are beating the averages that I could only dream of at their age. I don’t know how much longer I have left in the game.”
Anderson praises ‘The Freeze’
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Gary Anderson joked the last time John Part backed him to win the World Championship.
Also on Friday, Gary Anderson will face “overlooked” Dutchman Danny Noppert, a player he admires highly.
“Danny is the most overlooked player,” Anderson said. “Danny is a great player, he plods along, you get a whiff of him and he’ll take it.
“He’s a classy, solid player. He might not average 115, 116, but he’s always knocking on doors. He’s a great player, too.”
Former champion Jonny Clayton says reaching the last eight was a “wake-up call” with Dirk van Duijvenbode waiting for him.
The Dutchman reached his second World Grand Prix quarter-final after reaching the final in 2020.
“We need a better performance than that tomorrow. Dirk is playing well, but he knows what to do.” ‘Ferret’ said.
“I wish I would wake up because it’s so hard. Go back 12 or 14 months and my darts would have been in the crowd.”
What’s happening on World Grand Prix Friday?
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Highlights of Littler and Van Veen’s incredible clash
Current world champion smaller Face the 2020 Grand Prix Champion price, while Humphreysadvanced to the finals three times in a row. menzies.
andersonAdvance to the quarterfinals of the World Grand Prix for the first time in five years, and advance to the semifinals in 2021 no puttWith the 2021 Grand Prix winners clayton Challenge for second place in 2020 Van Duijvenbode.
Friday semifinals
Live coverage of Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm
- Danny Noffert vs Gary Anderson
- Dirk van Duyvenbode vs Johnny Clayton
- Luke Littler vs Gerwin Price
- Luke Humphries vs Cameron Menzies
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