The World Grand Prix has reached the quarter-final stage with eight players still in the hunt for the trophy, and the second round delivered no shortage of drama. A striking stage incident sparked commotion, Gary Anderson finds himself the subject of questions, and once more a high average proved no guarantee of victory in Leicester.
Danny Noppert endured a frustrating second round, going down tamely 3-0 to Ryan Joyce and never finding his usual rhythm. Even before a dart was thrown, Noppert showed his displeasure, and during the match it was clear something was bothering him as he repeatedly sought out the referee to talk. Afterward, the source of his irritation emerged: Noppert noticed during the match that the stage was creaking. Each time Joyce walked up and down, he heard a strange sound, which he said seriously distracted him on the throw. The term "stagegate" quickly took hold. Whether the creaking truly influenced the contest is hard to prove, but what is certain is that Noppert never approached his best level and could scarcely land a blow against Joyce. Noppert can now refocus on the European Championship Darts in about three weeks.
The second round also delivered a Dutch milestone as Niels Zonneveld reached the quarter-finals of a ranking major for the first time in his career. That qualifier matters, as "Triple Z" made the last eight at the 2021 World Series of Darts Finals, but that event does not count towards the PDC Order of Merit. Zonneveld is enjoying a notably strong year, having earlier reached two European Tour semi-finals. After his win, Zonneveld said he mainly needs to believe in himself a bit more. He gets that test immediately in the quarter-finals, where he faces Luke Humphries, who is, after Luke Littler's early exit, the highest-ranked player left in the field.
Alongside Zonneveld, Gian van Veen also features in the last eight after turning a difficult situation around against Ryan Searle. "GVV" trailed 2-1 in sets but again showed resilience to fight back and win 3-2. The 24-year-old keeps displaying a key quality: character. The quarter-finals bring another intriguing test as he meets an in-form James Wade, who is known for testing opponents mentally as well. If Van Veen controls his emotions while producing his best darts, a first career semi-final at the World Grand Prix is within reach.
There was plenty of Dutch disappointment too. Wessel Nijman, who has claimed six ranking titles this year, lost 3-1 to Jonny Clayton and failed to break his last-16 barrier at a major. Jermaine Wattimena had no answer to Luke Humphries and went down 3-0, having had two darts to pinch the first set but failing to land them. Meanwhile, Stephen Bunting posted a 96.29 average against James Wade, the highest of the round, yet it was Wade who prevailed 3-1 with an average more than three points lower. Luke Woodhouse, who knocked Luke Littler out in the opening round, was barely in the match against Nathan Aspinall and went down 3-0, despite his average being roughly four points higher than in his sensational win over Littler.
The quarter-finals see England supply four of the eight quarter-finalists with Nathan Aspinall, Ryan Joyce, Luke Humphries, and James Wade. Wales still has two irons in the fire with Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, while the Netherlands also has two in Gian van Veen and Niels Zonneveld. Gary Anderson's elimination leaves an intriguing question: is the Scot's lack of practice rhythm starting to cost him? The 55-year-old showed at the World Darts Championship earlier this year that he can still deliver, reaching the semi-finals, but since then another deep run at a major has not materialised. Anderson has never hidden that he spends few hours at the practice board, and that deliberate choice seems to leave him with less consistency than in his prime.
