Van Gerwen continued his bid for a fourth Eric Bristow Trophy with an inspired display at Aldersley Leisure Village as the quarter-final line-up was completed on another night of action. However, the night’s headliner saw Van Gerwen average 107 and hit four tons and the cashes to seal a 10-8 victory over the Rock on the Rock, despite the Northern Irishman crashing eight 180s and hitting the fifth 9-darter in Grand Slam history. The Rock’s nine-dart leg was the first in this event since Dimitri Van den Bergh achieved perfection in 2018, but it was not enough to topple a commanding Van Gerwen, who produced the performance of the tournament to prevail . Van Gerwen drew first blood with a cash of 124 on the bull, before Rock produced his moment of magic in the second leg – following up the back-to-back-180 with an impressive cash of 141 to raise the roof. Rock injured his ankle celebrating his nine-dart exploits, although he continued his relentless assault on treble 20, leading 3-2 despite a 115 average from the Dutchman. The 21-year-old was completely unfazed by the blistering barrage unleashed by Van Gerwen, who turned a bank of 110 into five apiece after another thrilling five-foot spell. The pair traded 11-darters as the impressive standard continued, but Van Gerwen landed the decisive blow on the 15th leg, firing a superb finish of 142 on double 11 to break and lead 8-7. The three-time champion then holed a double four to go on the brink of victory, and although Rock dipped twice to stay alive, Van Gerwen kept his cool to complete proceedings through double ten. “I like to have battles and I like to have good games,” reflected the three-time World Champion, who is eyeing his first Grand Slam success since 2017. “Josh Rock is an amazing player and we’ll be hearing a lot more about him very soon, but I had to dig deep today. “This is the best I’ve played in a long time and I had to do it, because when you’re up against a player of this caliber, you have to produce the right things at the right times.” Van Gerwen will now face sixth-seeded Luke Humphries in an intriguing quarter-final clash after the Newbury ace defied ten maximums from Ross Smith to secure a hard-fought 10-8 victory. Smith – who hit a record nine 180s in his recent Group Stage tie against Van Gerwen – produced another superb display of power, only to waste 26 darts in the doubles. After a run of four straight holds to start the tie, Humphries hit in front with a superb 11-dart break in the fifth leg before punishing Smith’s disrespect to extend his lead to 5-2. Smith – who shot seven perfect darts twice during the match – threatened a late fightback with consecutive 12 and 14 darts to move within a leg of Humphries at 8-7. However, the European Champion paid the price for his slow start as Humphries produced 15 and 16 darts in the closing stages to book his place in a first Grand Slam quarter-final. “It wasn’t the game I expected, I just felt so tired and I think that showed in my performance,” admitted Humphries – winner of four European Tour titles in 2022. “My wins against Michael this year give me the confidence that I can win. I have good memories of his role, but I know I will have to be at my best.” Elsewhere, Grand Slam debutant Alan Soutar withstood a late fightback from Jonny Clayton to complete an impressive 10-8 success and progress to his first televised quarter-final. The first four legs of the contest were split, but Soutar took control with a blistering burst of fours, creating legs of 11, 14, 15 and 13 darts to build a commanding 6-2 cushion. Clayton stemmed the tide with back-to-back legs and continued his charge following a spectacular bank of 136 with a 12-dart break to cut the deficit to 7-6. However, with Clayton poised to restore parity at seven to one, Soutar finished with a nerveless 114 to regain the initiative, before overcoming several missed match darts in leg 16 to seal the deal with a 13-dart hold. “I’m getting better, finding my feet and I think I can cause more upsets,” insisted Soutar, who is now on the verge of breaking into the world’s top 32. “I am very happy with my life. I’ve played for Scotland, I love darts, but this is a different level.” In the first game of the night, Nathan Aspinall booked his place in a second Grand Slam quarter-final after overcoming a mid-game slump to defeat a resurgent Jermaine Wattimena 10-6. Aspinall got off to a flying start in the competition, opening proceedings with legs of 13 and 15 darts before completing a 90 kill to take a 4-1 lead with a 102 average. Wattimena – aided by a brace of 64 goals – fought off three straight legs to reduce the deficit to 5-4, but a timely 13-darter from Aspinall in the tenth leg stopped the rot. The Stockport star punished key missed doubles from the Dutchman to go 9-5 up with two-dart 66 and 96 combinations, and sank a 16-dart through double 16 to progress to a third televised quarter-final of 2022. “I started really well, I felt like the Nathan of old,” claimed Aspinall, who averaged 97 to set up a showdown against Soutar in a replay of their Group E opener last Saturday. “That game was the story of my career. I always let people back in and it’s something I have to sort out, but I’m very happy to be able to do it.” Quarter-final action begins on Friday night in Wolverhampton as two-time semi-finalist Michael Smith meets Masters champion Joe Cullen, before reigning three-time champion Gerwyn Price plays 2012 winner Raymond van Barneveld. Click here to view match results and stats Thursday 17 November (1900 GMT) 4x second round matches Nathan Aspinall 10-6 Jermaine Vattimena Alan Southar 10-8 Jonny Clayton Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Josh Rock Luke Humphries 10-8 Ross Smith Friday 18 November (1900 GMT) 2x Quarter Finals Michael Smith – Joe Cullen Raymond van Barneveld – Gerwyn Price Best of 31 legs Saturday 19 November (1900 GMT) Nathan Aspinall v Alan Soutar Michael van Gerwen v Luke Humphries Best of 31 legs Nathan Aspinall (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Nathan Aspinall (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Jermaine Wattimena (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Nathan Aspinall (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Alan Shooter (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Alan Shooter (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Jonny Clayton (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Alan Shooter (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Josh Rock (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Michael van Gerwen (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Josh Rock (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Michael van Gerwen (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Luke Humphries & Ross Smith (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Luke Humphries (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Ross Smith (Taylor Lanning/PDC) Luke Humphries (Taylor Lanning/PDC)
