World number two Luke Humphries secured his place in the World Grand Prix final with a 5-3 victory over James Wade. Humphries averaged 96.92 and threw 10 180s as he reached the final for the fourth successive time. The 31-year-old Englishman will face Welshman Gerwyn Price on Sunday evening in Leicester after Price beat Nathan Aspinall in the other semi-final.
"I've got to do it again because there's so many major finals I've let slip. Gezzy [Price] is playing well but if I play like that again, it's going to be a cracking game and I hope it is," Humphries told Sky Sports.
"To make four Grand Prix finals on the trot is super special. It's history for myself and I'm proud of that but unless I pick that trophy up, unfortunately that history doesn't mean anything."
Humphries, who won this title in 2023 but has lost in the past two finals, took the opening set of the semi-final but Wade produced a brilliant 141 checkout en route to drawing level. The pair exchanged the next two sets before Humphries took control of the contest to move 4-2 ahead. Wade refused to go quietly and pulled one back to keep the match alive but Humphries held his nerve in the eighth set to seal victory on double top. In the other semi-final, Price beat a spirited Aspinall 5-2.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing