Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are set to reignite their fierce rivalry at the Swiss Darts Trophy on Sunday after both players emerged victorious in their opening matches in Basel. Littler, aiming for an incredible tenth title of the year, defeated local favorite Bruno Stockli 6-3, showcasing his skill with three 180s and a remarkable checkout of 145 at the St. Jakobshalle.
Now, ‘The Nuke’ will face Humphries, the reigning world champion, who kicked off his tournament campaign with a stellar performance, averaging 100.7 and converting six out of seven attempts at double to defeat Richard Veenstra.
Despite suffering an earlier defeat to Humphries at Alexandra Palace in January, Littler has since triumphed over Humphries six times, including a victory at the Premier League Play-Offs in London. However, Humphries has managed to best the 17-year-old in previous encounters at the European Grand Prix in Sindelfingen, Germany, and at the recent New Zealand Darts Masters.
In other noteworthy matches, James Wade recorded a comeback victory against Gerwyn Price, rallying from 4-2 down to extend Price’s winless streak on the European Tour. Additionally, Stephen Bunting turned the tide against world No. 2 Michael Smith, winning a thrilling match after being down 4-1.
Former champion Raymond van Barneveld advanced to Sunday’s lineup after a close 6-5 win against Ricardo Pietreczko, following a dominant 102.47 average in his earlier 6-2 victory over Joe Cullen.
Results from the 2024 Swiss Darts Trophy – Second Round
Afternoon Session
- Callan Rydz 6-4 Gian van Veen
- Ryan Searle 6-1 Roger Hertig
- Rob Cross 6-2 Andrew Gilding
- Josh Rock 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
- Madars Razma 6-5 Damon Heta
- Ross Smith 6-4 Mike De Decker
- Daryl Gurney 6-2 Karel Sedlacek
- Cameron Menzies 6-4 Danny Noppert
Evening Session
- Martin Schindler 6-1 Anton Ostlund
- Stephen Bunting 6-5 Michael Smith
- James Wade 6-4 Gerwyn Price
- Luke Humphries 6-2 Richard Veenstra
- Luke Littler 6-3 Bruno Stockli
- Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Ricardo Pietreczko
- Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Looking ahead, the 2024 BoyleSports World Grand Prix takes center stage on the darting calendar. This prestigious £600,000 tournament will be held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester from October 7-13, as 32 of the world’s darting elite compete for the title, previously claimed by Luke Humphries. The world No. 1 will defend his title against formidable opponents, including six-time champion Michael van Gerwen and rising star Luke Littler, who will make his double-start debut.
This year’s tournament introduces exciting changes, with the semi-finals on October 12 featuring a best-of-nine sets format and the final on October 13 contested over the best of 11 sets.
