Gerwyn Price was left breathing a sigh of relief after surviving a serious opening-round scare against Darius Labanauskas at the Nordic Darts Masters, despite producing one of the strongest averages of the night in Copenhagen. The Welshman came through a high-quality World Series of Darts thriller 6-5, averaging 104.03 to Labanauskas’ 97.49, but the scoreline told a fuller story than the numbers. Labanauskas refused to go away, punished Price with big finishes and had a shot at 65 in the deciding leg before the former world champion finally closed out victory.
Price had arrived in Denmark short on recent match rhythm and with far from perfect preparation, but still found enough to edge through to finals day. Afterwards, he admitted the match had come dangerously close to slipping away. “Yeah, quite fortunate at the end, I think,” Price said after sealing his place in the quarter-finals. Labanauskas kept Price under pressure throughout an entertaining first-round contest. A 130 checkout from the Lithuanian arrived at a crucial moment, while Price also had to produce big shots of his own to stay in control of a match that never quite settled.
Price did not pretend it had been comfortable. “I could have played rubbish there and won,” he said. “I played really well and managed to just fall over the winning line. But yeah, tomorrow is a different day.” The final leg brought the clearest moment of danger. Price missed double top from 120, leaving Labanauskas 65 for the match. Asked afterwards whether he had felt the pressure as the match moved from 4-4 to 5-5, Price insisted his own level had helped him stay calm. “No, no. I knew I was playing well,” he said. “I just had to keep plodding along and hopefully get my chance, which I did at the 120.” That missed dart at tops could have proved costly, but Labanauskas failed to take out 65 and Price returned to finish the job. “If he took out the 65, then fair play to him,” Price added. “But I had a chance. I got myself an opportunity. Thankfully he missed and then I took it out. It was a great game.”
The former world champion looked subdued for much of the match, even after taking out a superb 156 finish. Price said that was partly down to the strange rhythm of the contest, with Labanauskas repeatedly answering him at important moments. “I felt good. I felt like I was playing well, but it’s just one of those games where sometimes you can play really well and someone is pinging out shots and playing well against you as well,” he explained. “I never thought I was going to lose the game until he was on 65. I was praying that he’d miss the 25 or hit the bull, or do what he did, and give myself another opportunity.”
Price’s performance was notable given how little competitive darts he has played in recent months. He has not had the same rhythm as many of his rivals, and he admitted his level had surprised him slightly given that limited schedule. “Considering how little darts I’ve played over the last three or four months, my darts seem to be going all right, touch wood,” Price said. “I wish I’d played in a couple more tournaments, but unfortunately, due to circumstances, I couldn’t.” His preparation for Copenhagen was also rushed. Price only arrived on the day of the tournament, leaving little time to settle before stepping onto the stage. “It’s probably preparation,” he said when asked about getting back into darts mode after a break. “I only turned up today, which isn’t great, so I was probably still a little bit tired. But I played all right.” That late arrival may also have explained why Price’s 156 checkout brought such a muted reaction. He joked that tiredness might even be worth repeating. “Maybe I should just not get enough sleep tonight and be tired tomorrow,” he said.
Price will now meet Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals after his fellow Welshman opened his own Nordic Darts Masters campaign with a 6-0 win over Andreas Harrysson. “Jonny’s playing great. He won 6-0 today,” Price said, before adding: “No disrespect to Andreas, but he didn’t throw much. Hopefully I can throw a lot more at him tomorrow and put him under pressure.” Price will not feature at the World Cup of Darts next week, giving him a rare gap in the calendar before returning to the Pro Tour. He expects that window to include more practice than usual as he looks to sharpen up for the next block of events. “I’ve got a week off next week,” he said. “Obviously I’m not playing in the World Cup, so I’ll chill out. I will practice more than I normally do back home because obviously I’ve got a full week off, and then into the Pro Tours the next week.”
