Michael van Gerwen won through another last-leg epic at the Jack’s Casino World Series of Darts Finals to set up a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Luke Humphries on Saturday.
Van Gerwen – roared on by a partisan home crowd in Amsterdam - continued his bid for a record-extending sixth World Series of Darts Finals crown with a dramatic victory over Rob Cross.
The Dutchman followed up a skin-saving 122 finish on the bull with a nerveless 111 finish on tops in the decider, after Cross missed a match dart at the same target in the previous visit.
“It’s always tough playing Rob because you know what he’s capable of,” reflected Van Gerwen, who also survived a match dart in his tie against Wessel Nijman.
“Rob is one of the best players in the world and I made it difficult for myself, but I’m really glad to win this game.
“There are signs that I’m coming back, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m only in the quarter-finals, so I need to put my head on for tomorrow afternoon.”
Van Gerwen will now renew his rivalry with world number one Humphries in the last eight, after Humphries ended the hopes of home favourite Kevin Doets.
Humphries averaged 101.87 and crashed in seven 180s to close out a 6-4 success, after Doets had produced a mid-match burst to restore parity at four apiece.
“I had a lot of support tonight which was great, and I’m looking forward to playing Michael tomorrow,” claimed the 2023/24 World Champion.
“Michael is a great friend of mine. I love him to bits and he thrives in these environments, so it will be a really tough game.
“I’ve played in these situations many times, and I beat Michael in Rotterdam in the Premier League last year, so hopefully I won’t let the atmosphere affect me too much.”
Gerwyn Price also impressed on a marathon day of action in the Dutch capital, defying a valiant display from Raymond van Barneveld to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Following a comprehensive opening round win over Danny Lauby, Price fought back from 3-1 down to deny the Dutch icon, who edged out Cor Dekker earlier in the afternoon.
Van Barneveld was relentless in the opening exchanges, but a ruthless Price converted six of his nine attempts at double to triumph with a 102.97 average to Van Barneveld’s 100.73.
“That was a great win for me. I had to keep focused until the very end,” admitted the Welshman, who is chasing a third World Series of Darts Finals title.
“Raymond was fantastic and he had the support of the crowd which he deserves, because he’s a legend of the game.
“I was right up against it at 3-1 down, but I think my finishing won me the game tonight.”
Price will now take on Chris Dobey in the last eight, after the former Masters champion conceded just three legs in resounding wins over Luke Woodhouse and Cameron Menzies.
Reigning champion Luke Littler will also take centre stage on Finals Day, after kicking off his title defence with back-to-back 6-4 victories against Simon Whitlock and Jonny Clayton.
Littler overturned a 3-0 deficit to dump out 2021 champion Clayton, who squandered eight darts at double to force a last-leg shoot-out.
The teenage sensation will now lock horns with former European Champion Ross Smith, who followed up a hard-fought victory over New Zealand's Jonny Tata with an excellent 6-4 win against Dave Chisnall in Saturday's finale.
Elsewhere, Josh Rock produced the performance of the tournament in his six-leg demolition of Danny Noppert, averaging 107.36 to whitewash the Dutch number two in ten minutes of play.
Rock’s reward is a quarter-final showdown against World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker, who put in a clinical display of doubling to record a third successive victory over Damon Heta.
The quarter-finals will take place on Sunday afternoon at AFAS Live, before this year’s showpiece draws to a close with the semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
The tournament is being broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including Viaplay and DAZN, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
Click here for live scores, match stats & results.
2025 Jack's Casino World Series of Darts Finals
Saturday September 13
Afternoon Session
First Round x8
Chris Dobey 6-2 Luke Woodhouse
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Peter Wright
Ross Smith 6-4 Jonny Tata
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Cor Dekker
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Danny Lauby
Luke Littler 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Jonny Clayton 6-0 Jason Brandon
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Nathan Aspinall
Evening Session
Second Round
Mike De Decker 6-4 Damon Heta
Josh Rock 6-0 Danny Noppert
Luke Humphries 6-4 Kevin Doets
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Rob Cross
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Chris Dobey 6-1 Cameron Menzies
Luke Littler 6-4 Jonny Clayton
Ross Smith 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Sunday September 14
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
Josh Rock v Mike De Decker
Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen
Luke Littler v Ross Smith
Gerwyn Price v Chris Dobey
Best of 19 legs
Evening Session (1900 local time)
Semi-Finals
Rock/De Decker v Humphries/Van Gerwen
Littler/R Smith v Price/Dobey
Best of 21 legs
Final
v
Best of 21 legs