Gerwyn Price set up an all-Welsh quarter-final showdown with Jonny Clayton after a straight-sets win over Ross Smith at the World Grand Prix in Leicester. The 2020 champion, among the tournament favourites following Luke Littler's shock first-round exit, dropped just four legs to dispatch Smith at the Mattioli Arena. Price averaged 101.61 and admitted his performance was not brilliant but managed to recover from an early break to secure victory.
Clayton opened with three consecutive ton-plus checkouts and made four in total during a 3-1 victory over Wessel Nijman, posting a 93.08 average with remarkable finishing to push past the 12th seed. Ryan Joyce also breezed into the quarter-finals with a straight-sets win over Danny Noppert.
Nathan Aspinall knocked out Luke Woodhouse, who stunned Littler in the first round, with a 3-0 victory in a one-sided contest. The world No 4 took out an 86 finish en route to winning the second set and nailed an 80 checkout early in the third to close out the match.
Price commented on his upcoming clash with Clayton, noting the pressure is on his World Cup partner as he chases a Grand Slam spot. Clayton, who posted eight maximums alongside his impressive finishing, reached the quarter-finals for a third consecutive year.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing