Latest news with #BalticSeaOpen
Wales Online
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Luke Humphries going to hospital and will miss tournament after fan injures him
Luke Humphries going to hospital and will miss tournament after fan injures him Luke Humphries was left in agony before he had even thrown a dart at the US Darts Masters - and will now have an X-ray after playing through the pain barrier to win the title Luke Humphries (Image: Darts ) Luke Humphries pushed through intense discomfort to triumph at the US Darts Masters, despite a rocky start to the tournament that saw him injured before his initial game in New York's Madison Square Garden. The reigning world No. 1 had an unfortunate incident during his entrance as he prepared to face Stowe Buntz in the opening round, injuring his thumb when an eager fan accidentally yanked it back. Cool Hand Luke managed to win that match and continued his streak by defeating American Danny Lauby, following which he impressively overpowered Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals with a 7-2 victory. He then went on to clinch the title against Nathan Aspinall in the final, securing an 8-6 win even though he was still dealing with considerable pain. Before taking on the final, Humphries expressed his determination to Online Darts, stating: "When I was in the final, I said to my family, 'I'm going to give it everything, if I injure my hand in the final, it doesn't matter.' I tried my best, and thankfully, it was good enough." The darting champion is set to take a short break, with plans to rest for several weeks ahead of his participation in the European Tour's Baltic Sea Open scheduled for mid-July. This event is just before he defends his World Matchplay title, reports the Express. Reflecting on his injury, Humphries described his thumb as particularly swollen, noting the difficulty experienced while playing due to issues with grip. Article continues below He explained, "It's hard to play through; I was struggling with the grip. I couldn't hold my thumb in the same position." Consequently, he will be absent from the forthcoming World Series event in Poland starting this Friday. "I don't want to make it all about that because I've won the title, I don't want the headlines to be about me and an injury. But the guy, when he pulled my hand back, he really hurt it. I'm going to have to go home and get it X-rayed. "I don't think it's broken because it doesn't hurt to squeeze it. I've got a couple of weeks off now. The next time I play will be in Kiel [at the Baltic Sea Open]." Despite his injury, Humphries was elated to secure victory at such a prestigious venue. He shared: "This is the most iconic venue that we play in and it's really special to win this event. It's one of the top venues in the world and it's one I've always dreamed of winning. When I finally won it tonight, it was an amazing relief. Article continues below "Once I knew I was in a winning position, I started getting nervous - I'm really pleased to win and I'm over the moon. It's another massive event ticked off for me. "I've won World Championships, World Matchplays, Premier Leagues and these big titles and it felt like I'd won another major. That's how big it is. It's very special and you could see my relief at the end. "This was the one on the World Series that I really wanted to win. The crowd have been absolutely amazing this week, and to have my mum and dad here to see me win again means the world to us all."
Daily Mirror
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Humphries going hospital after fan injured him during US Darts Masters walk-on
Luke Humphries suffered an injury scare during his victorious US Darts Masters campaign after his thumb was pulled back by an over-enthusiastic fan Luke Humphries will make a hospital trip after being injured by a fan at the US Darts Masters. The world No.1, returning to action after he and Luke Littler fell at the first hurdle at the World Cup, played through the pain barrier at New York's Madison Square Garden after a bizarre incident ahead of his first-round match against Stowe Buntz. During his walk-on, Humphries was left in pain after the thumb on his throwing hand was yanked back by an overzealous fan. The former world champion still came through that match before beating Danny Lauby in the quarter-finals. Cool Hand then thrashed Gerwyn Price 7-2 in the last four before seeing off Nathan Aspinall 8-6 in the final, despite the continuing discomfort, which will see him getting the digit X-rayed before he returns to action. Fortunately, Humphries was already planning to take a couple of weeks off, which will see him miss the next World Series event in Poland. He told Online Darts: 'My thumb is incredibly swollen. It's hard to play through; I was struggling with the grip. 'I couldn't hold my thumb in the same position. I don't want to make it all about that because I've won the title, I don't want the headlines to be about me and an injury. But the guy, when he pulled my hand back, he really hurt it. I'm going to have to go home and get it X-rayed." Before the final against Aspinall, he made it clear to his family that he intended to leave everything out on the oche. He added: 'When I was in the final, I said to my family, 'I'm going to give it everything, if I injure my hand in the final, it doesn't matter.' I tried my best, and thankfully, it was good enough. 'I don't think it's broken because it doesn't hurt to squeeze it. I've got a couple of weeks off now. The next time I play will be in Kiel [at the Baltic Sea Open].' His injury aside, Humphries was proud to lift the trophy at such an illustrious venue. He said: "It's one of the top venues in the world and it's one I've always dreamed of winning. When I finally won it tonight, it was an amazing relief. "I've won World Championships, World Matchplays, Premier Leagues and these big titles and it felt like I'd won another major. That's how big it is. 'It's very special and you could see my relief at the end. This was the one on the World Series that I really wanted to win. The crowd have been absolutely amazing this week, and to have my mum and dad here to see me win again means the world to us all." Humphries sportingly paid tribute to runner-up Aspinall, saying: "Nathan is such a credit to the sport and you can see that with the amount of support he got from the crowd. "Nathan is so gritty and determined, he came back at me and made it hard for me but he missed two darts to go seven-all and gave me a chance. It's nice to see him back playing the way he can - he makes me want to be better and we always seem to have really good games."
The Irish Sun
21-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Luke Littler blasts ‘shouldn't have been in Munich but had to play' as he posts odd pic after European Darts loss
LUKE LITTLER said he "should not have been in Munich" after crashing out the German Darts Grand Prix. The Nuke was beaten 7-4 by Gian van Veen – his rival from the junior days – in the semi-finals on Bank Holiday Monday. Advertisement 2 Luke Littler lost in the semi-finals of the German Darts Grand Prix Credit: Alamy 2 He posted this on social media Credit: @lukethenukelittler The world champion struggled in the early stages against Van Veen and changed his darts at 3-0 down. He rallied back to lead 4-3 before the 22-year-old responded to win the next four legs to progress. After the defeat, Littler took to Instagram and hinted at skipping upcoming events in Germany. Advertisement READ MORE IN DARTS He posted a picture of the footwell of his car and wrote: "Shouldn't have been in Munich but had to play anyway. "Next one in Germany for me is Dortmund and I am glad to say that." Before the European Tour final in Dortmund in October, there is another European Grand Prix next month, the Baltic Sea Open and several Players Championship events all in Germany. Littler has a horror record in the country and he has never tasted glory in any pro tournament there. Advertisement Most read in Darts CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS But Germany has been a good place for Michael van Gerwen, who sealed victory this weekend after Littler will now dust himself down and head to Liverpool for the next night of Premier League Darts. Michael van Gerwen hits incredible nine-darter after fans spot he's made subtle change following struggles The Advertisement His quarter-final tie at the M&S Bank Arena will be against Van Gerwen as he searches for a fifth nightly win this season, which would be a record.
