Luke Humphries to Hit the Most 180s

Luke Humphries hits 180s like they are going out of fashion and he has to be fancied to rack up more than any other player at this year’s World Grand Prix. The world number one sits top of the pile in the PDC when it comes to maximums over the previous 12 months (700). No player hit more 180s than Humphries at the 2024 World Darts Championship, and that was also the case at the World Matchplay in July. Cool Hand won both of those respective tournaments, and he is widely expected to make the latter stages of the World Grand Prix, as was the case last year when he lifted the trophy. Another deep run should go hand in hand with a high 180 return, making Humphries the obvious and most appealing candidate to ‘outmax’ the rest of the 32-man field at the Mattioli Arena.

Gerwyn Price to Reach the Quarter-Finals

Look to Gerwyn Price to plot a path to at least the quarter-final stage. The Welshman made it all the way to last year’s final and he is more than capable of extending his stay in the latest Leicester showpiece. The Iceman opens up against Danny Noppert on Day 2 and he can draw plenty of confidence from his recent record against the Dutchman. Price has claimed top honours from eight of the previous 10 meetings between the pair. Another success on Tuesday would set up a second round clash with either James Wade or Peter Wright, another tie that Price would be expected to successfully negotiate. He has triumphed in four of his last five meetings with Wade, and likewise with Snakebite. Price's seasonal average and 180 return are also higher than that of any of the opponents he will come up against before the quarter-final stage, so the Iceman looks like a sensible option to book a last-eight berth.

1+ Tournament 9-Dart-Finishes

While the double-start format of the World Grand Prix makes a nine-dart finish even more trickier than usual, it’s still within the realms of possibility given the amount of world class talent that will be on show at the Mattioli Arena. At the recent Hungarian Darts Trophy, no fewer than three nine-darters were delivered - setting a new record for a solitary European Tour event in the process. Cor Dekker, Martin Schindler and Michael van Gerwen were the three men that threw nine perfect darts, and the latter of the two will be looking to repeat the trick in Leicester. The likes of Chris Dobey, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Gary Anderson and Gerwyn Price are all other noteworthy 2024 World Grand Prix participants to have produced a perfect visit to the board this calendar year. Add to all of that the fact that Luke Littler has thrown an astonishing four nine-darters since the turn of the year, then there is plenty of scope for another roof-raising moment during this week’s East Midlands event.