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Nathan Aspinall secured a shock win over Michael Smith; Martin Lukeman came through with a surprise upset against James Wade; Gerwyn Price secured a dominant victory as Joe Cullen overcame Damon Heta in a tight contest

Michael Smith suffered a shock first-round exit at the hands of Nathan Aspinall in a night full of upsets at the World Grand Prix in Leicester.

The Stockport man came away with a 2-1 win over Smith as the world No 4 struggled to find his rhythm on the doubles.

Martin Lukeman provided the performance of the night in a shock victory over James Wade, while Gerwyn Price put in a professional performance against Martin Schindler and Joe Cullen overcame Damon Heta.

The final match of the evening was touted as a big encounter and it did not disappoint as Smith and Aspinall faced off in a fast-paced clash.

Aspinall started the encounter with much more promise, breaking Smith early with a 116 finish to go two legs ahead.

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Nathan Aspinall started his match against Michael Smith with a 116 checkout in the first round of the World Grand Prix

‘Bully Boy’ fought back to claim a leg of his own but it was not enough as the world No 16 took advantage of some inaccuracy on the doubles to claim the first set.

The second set continued in the same vein as the first as Aspinall raced into a two-leg lead but Smith was not ready to go down without a fight and checked out on 95 to keep himself in the tie before backing it up with a 101 finish to bring the set level.

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Smith took out this finish to level the second set against Aspinall

A crucial leg followed and a lovely 171 put Aspinall close to victory with three match darts, but he failed to take his chance and Smith checked out on D10 to bring it to a set apiece.

A nervous third set ensued but Aspinall managed to find his form to secure a 3-0 whitewash, checking out on D16 to take the match.

Price cut an ultra-confident figure as he stepped out for his clash with Schindler and he got off to a flying start, breaking the throw in the first leg and holding his own to power ahead.

With both players unable to find the doubles to checkout, Schindler battled his way back with a D5 in the third leg of the set but it was to no avail as ‘The Iceman’ discovered his accuracy once again to take out D2 for the first set.

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Gerwyn Price enjoyed this 101 finish on his way to victory over Martin Schindler

The Welshman’s dominance continued into the second set as Schindler was unable to get comfortable, a sublime 101 finish to break the throw spurring him on to victory and into the second round.

Lukeman came through with the biggest upset of the night against Wade, taking the first set in three straight legs and stunning the world No 5 to secure his first televised victory.

Lukeman, who sits outside the world top 50, was easily finding some big maximums while Wade struggled to get going on the doubles, Wade at one point needing seven darts to get his leg going on the doubles.

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Martin Lukeman caused a huge upset, beating James Wade in the first round

The second set produced a partial fightback from Wade as he brought his average back up, a crucial D2 keeping him in the tie but the third leg saw Lukeman battle well and hold his throw with a D10 to take the lead.

Out of nowhere, Wade found a vital 121 finish to bring it to a deciding leg but it was Lukeman who ended with three match darts and used them well, hitting the D8 to secure the biggest win of his career so far.

It was touted to be a tight and exciting match-up and Cullen and Heta did not disappoint in their opening set, trading breaks of throw and ton-plus finishes before a D16 saw Cullen take the opener.

Heta take complete control in the second set, breaking Cullen twice, including a brilliant 115 finish, to take a 3-0 whitewash and bring the tie all square but Cullen took the final set and the match on D8 to conclude a gritty and enthralling match.

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Joe Cullen struck an early break in his first-round match against Damon Heta

The tight contests continued as former world champion Rob Cross and former World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney faced off, both players holding their throw before Cross’ inability to find the crucial double to start, missing nine times, gifted Gurney a chance to break and take the first set.

After Cross fought back in the second set, hitting two maximums and breaking Gurney to make things even, ‘Superchin’ held it together and broke Cross early in the final leg to take the big win.

Last year’s semi-finalist Danny Noppert was back to show his form on the doubles again as he took on Gabriel Clemens. An astonishing second leg saw the Dutchman take 13 darts to get going on the double but he rallied to leave himself on a ton-plus finish of 101 to seal the leg before going on to take the set.

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Danny Noppert missed 12 darts at double to get started in the second leg of his game against Gabriel Clemens but still managed to win the leg after a remarkable turnaround

Clemens fought back for a couple of legs but Noppert raised his game and grinded out a 2-0 win as he looks to go one step further than 2021.

With three debutants on show as the opening round came to a close, there were some upsets to be had and Madars Razma had a strong showing as he won 2-1 against Ryan Searle, taking the first set after breaking the throw twice before taking out a lovely 108 finish to win the match and progress to the second round.

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Andrew Gilding hit this 102 checkout on his way to winning the first set of his first-round match against Ross Smith

An all-British tie between Ross Smith and Andrew Gilding saw Smith come away with the spoils in a closely-fought 2-1 victory.

Wednesday sees the players from night one back in action as Adrian Lewis faces Chris Dobey, Peter Wright is up against Krzysztof Ratajski, Michael van Gerwen plays Stephen Bunting and Jonny Clayton faces off against Dimitri Van den Bergh as the second round gets under way.

Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. You can watch the 25th staging of the World Grand Prix ‘Double in, Double out’ set format on Sky Sports all the way through to the final on October 9 in Leicester.

Deebo Samuel produced an electric 57-yard touchdown to help the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams.

Five-time winner Michael Van Gerwen beat rival Gary Anderson, while defending champion Jonny Clayton scraped into the second round by coming from a set down to defeat 2020 finalist Dirk Van Duijvenbode; Peter Wright and Adrian Lewis also won through at the World Grand Prix

Michael van Gerwen won the battle between two darting giants as he set aside a nervy start to ease past Gary Anderson on opening night of the World Grand Prix.

Van Gerwen – chasing a sixth World Grand Prix success – ran out a resounding 2-0 winner against two-time World Champion Anderson in a repeat of the 2016 final.

Jonny Clayton survived a scare as he began his title defence with a comeback victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode, while Peter Wright and Adrian Lewis also progressed in Leicester.

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Check out the best of the action from the opening night of the World Grand Prix

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Anderson could help but smile after he scored just nine in his emphatic defeat to Van Gerwen

Van Gerwen reeled off a scrappy first set without reply, despite Anderson missing darts to win every leg – squandering 11 darts at double in total.

The Scot responded with a clinical 84 to seize control of the second set, but after firing back with a 15-dart riposte, ‘The Green Machine’ followed up his third 180 with a 106 finish to seal victory in 12 darts.

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Van Gerwen booked his spot in the second round spot with this incredible 12-dart leg…

“The first round at the World Grand Prix against Gary Anderson is never going to be easy,” admitted Van Gerwen, who averaged 101 in a superb second set display.

“You never know with Gary. He still has a lot of talent and is a brilliant player, so you have to perform well.

“We both missed so many doubles in the first set, but the second set is something to build on for the next round.”

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MVG is targeting more success having already claimed victory in this year’s Premier League and World Matchplay

Clayton was handed a tough assignment against 2020 runner-up Van Duijvenbode in the unique double-start event, but recovered from a shaky start to book a showdown with Dimitri Van den Bergh at the Morningside Arena.

Van Duijvenbode dominated the opening exchanges, punishing a lacklustre start from the reigning champion to draw first blood with a sublime 156 checkout.

Clayton’s terrific 130 finish midway through set two shifted the pendulum, and as an increasingly frustrated Dutchman faltered late on with ‘The Ferret’ capitalising to move through to a meeting against Van den Bergh.

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Jonny Clayton admitted he was fortunate to progress through after a late rally saw him defeat Dirk van Duijvenbode

“I’m glad to get through obviously, but Dirk should have won that game,” conceded Clayton, who crushed fellow Welshman Gerwyn Price in last year’s showpiece.

“I just couldn’t get going tonight, but thankfully I managed to scrape through.

“Dimitri is a brilliant player, just like Dirk. Hopefully my game will improve on Wednesday. I’m going to come out of the blocks better than I did tonight.”

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Van den Bergh nailed this brilliant 81 checkout on the bullseye in his win over Dave Chisnall

Van den Bergh secured only his second victory on the World Grand Prix stage with a deciding-leg win over two-time finalist Dave Chisnall.

World Champion Peter Wright defied a spirited fightback from Kim Huybrechts to begin his bid for a maiden World Grand Prix crown with a 2-0 win in a high-quality affair.

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Adrian Lewis rolled back the years by hitting the Jackpot with this majestic 152 finish

And 2010 finalist Adrian Lewis made a winning return in his first World Grand Prix appearance since 2019, converting three ton-plus checkouts to close out an impressive 2-0 win over Jose De Sousa, who becomes the first seed to exit this year’s tournament.

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Chris Dobey sunk two huge ton-plus checkouts as he swept past Luke Humphries

‘Jackpot’ will now play ‘Hollywood’ Chris Dobey, who produced a spectacular display of finishing to stun Luke Humphries and secure his first win at this event since reaching the 2019 semi-finals on debut.

Krzysztof Ratajski and Stephen Bunting also progressed with 2-0 victories, beating Callan Rydz and Brendan Dolan respectively.

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Dobey won the opening set with Luke Humphries with this Hollywood ending

The first round action draws to a close on Tuesday night, as world No 1 Gerwyn Price begins his bid for a second World Grand Prix crown against German debutant Martin Schindler.

Two-time winner James Wade faces another newcomer in Martin Lukeman, 2017 champion Daryl Gurney plays eighth seed Rob Cross, while Michael Smith takes on Nathan Aspinall in another tasty tie.

Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. You can watch the 25th staging of the World Grand Prix ‘Double in, Double out’ set format on Sky Sports all the way through to the final on October 9 in Leicester.

Emma Paton returns ahead of the World Grand Prix Darts to make her predictions for the iconic double-in, double-out tournament; who is she picking to win this year’s event in Leicester? And will Michael van Gerwen vs Gary Anderson be her must-watch first-round tie?

It’s prediction time for Emma Paton with the World Grand Prix on her mind

Our very own Emma Paton is back for her latest predictions ahead of this year’s World Grand Prix Darts at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

Find out who Emma is backing to win the unique event, which is best known for its double-in, double-out format.

The 25th staging of the prestigious tournament will feature seven sessions of action from October 3-9 – live on Sky Sports!

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Enjoy the best moments from the World Grand Prix, from the first nine-darter, Andy Callaby beating Phil Taylor and MVG’s first TV title win

Tournament favourite?

Well this isn’t a huge surprise, he is the bookies’ favourite too, but I’ve gone for…

…Gerwyn Price!

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Gerwyn Price hit two nine-dart finishes in one night in the Premier League in Belfast…

‘The Iceman’ knows what it takes to win, he won this event two years ago, and then followed that up with a runner-up finish last year, ultimately losing out to fellow Welshman Jonny Clayton.

He’s coming into form nicely having, by his own admission, struggled with the schedule earlier on in the year. The world No 1 arrives in Leicester off the back of winning The World Series of Darts Finals, plus he missed last weekend’s event in Belgium so should be feeling fresh!

Compared to the other members of the ‘Big Three’ including Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen, I think his section of the draw is slightly more favourable.

He faces a debutant in Martin Schindler in the first round, and he knows what to expect there after their first-round tie in Blackpool!

A tricky last-16 tie looms with either Masters champion Joe Cullen or Australia’s No 1 Damon Heta but I expect him to get past either of those, with Rob Cross the highest seed in his quarter.

Michael Smith and James Wade are in his half – we all know how dangerous Wade can be in this event having won it twice, but in five of his last seven appearances he’s not made it past the opening round – so I’m backing Price to at least reach the final.

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Price raised the roof with a nine-darter during his semi-final against Danny Noppert at the World Matchplay

One to watch?

…Danny Noppert!

Will Danny Noppert be the one to watch in Leicester?

Now this might sound counter-intuitive because he’s in the same half as Price!! But I think he can certainly make it out of his quarter.

He did just that last year, in the end losing to Clayton in the semis and he could find himself with a similar scenario this time around with a different Welshman ending his chances.

He looks more and more confident every time I see him on the stage and certainly since winning the UK Open earlier this year. He has such a calmness and steel about him, I’m a big fan of the way he goes about his business.

We don’t seem to talk him up too much ahead of majors, despite him picking one up this year! He’s still flying under the radar with the bookies too at 25/1 but ‘The Freeze’ is one to keep your eye on!

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Danny Noppert showcased some serious darthousery with a no-look 180 before taking out 86 on the bullseye at the World Matchplay

Double-in, double-out…

…adds to the excitement!! Well it does for us anyway!

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Watch every nine-darter hit at the World Grand Prix…

For the players, the first round is a nerve shredder! The fact we start with best of three sets as well adds to the drama. There’s no room for a slow start, last year showed exactly that with the likes of Peter Wright and MVG falling at the first hurdle.

There’s drama of the other kind too – we’ve seen players in the past step up on the stage and forget it’s double-in and go straight for the treble 20!

The fact we only see this format once a year adds a sprinkling of something special, it’s unique, and a great leveller for the players.

Must-watch first-round tie?

…Jonny Clayton vs Dirk van Duijvenbode!

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Clayton struck with five ton-plus finishes as he dominated Price to lift his maiden World Grand Prix title

Is there any other answer?!

To be fair there are some cracking opening ties but this is the standout for me.

They’ve met a couple of times recently – at the World Series Finals which went the Dutchman’s way, and then what a belter at the Belgian Darts Open over the weekend, both players averaged 105 but it was ‘The Ferret’ who came out on top then.

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Jonny Clayton triumphed at the World Grand Prix after thrashing Gerwyn Price 5-1

Clayton is the defending champion of course and is coming into form. He finished the Premier League top of the table but has admitted defeat to Joe Cullen in the play-offs knocked his confidence which took some time to recover from but he’s certainly getting back to his best.

Van Duijvenbode might not have won this event, but he came close a couple of years ago getting to the final and he’s getting closer to winning something on the big stage.

Oh it should be good, shouldn’t it?

2022 World Grand Prix
Schedule of Play
Monday October 3 (1900 BST)
8x First Round matches
Callan Rydz vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Brendan Dolan vs Stephen Bunting
Chris Dobey vs Luke Humphries
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Dave Chisnall
(7) Jonny Clayton vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
(2) Peter Wright vs Kim Huybrechts
(3) Michael van Gerwen vs Gary Anderson
(6) Jose de Sousa vs Adrian Lewis

Tuesday October 4 (1900 BST)
8x First Round matches
Madars Razma vs Ryan Searle
Ross Smith vs Andrew Gilding
Danny Noppert vs Gabriel Clemens
Joe Cullen vs Damon Heta
(8) Rob Cross vs Daryl Gurney
(5) James Wade vs Martin Lukeman
(1) Gerwyn Price vs Martin Schindler
(4) Michael Smith vs Nathan Aspinall

Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. You can watch the 25th staging of the World Grand Prix ‘Double-in, Double-out’ set format on Sky Sports from October 3-9 in Leicester.

Jonny Clayton will be out to retain his World Grand Prix title at Leicester’s Morningside Arena from October 3-9; watch the unique double-start event live on Sky Sports Arena this week

Jonny Clayton will be bidding to retain his World Grand Prix title in the unique double-start event, while Peter Wright has vowed to raise his game to “another level”.

Clayton will begin the defence of his title defence against high-flying Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, while world champion Wright begins his bid for a maiden World Grand Prix crown against Kim Huybrechts.

Clayton clinched his first televised ranking crown in last year’s showpiece with a 5-1 demolition of fellow Welshman Gerwyn Price.

The reigning champion will look to repeat those heroics in this year’s 32-player tournament, which takes place at Leicester’s Morningside Arena from October 3-9, with a record-breaking £600,000 prize fund on offer.

Clayton is hoping to follow in the footsteps of 11-time winner Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen – who is chasing a sixth crown this year – by becoming only the third player in World Grand Prix history to retain their title.

“The double-in double-out format is challenging, but it separates the men from the boys,” said Clayton.

“I’m going to turn up and play to the best level I can. If I play my best game, I’ve got a good chance of defending my title so that’s what I will try and do.

“There are not many people that have defended the World Grand Prix and I’d love to join that list, so fingers crossed it’s going to happen again.”

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Clayton sunk five ton-plus finishes as he dominated Gerwyn Price to lift his maiden World Grand Prix title

Van Duijvenbode defeated Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam a fortnight ago, but ‘The Ferret’ gained revenge with a thrilling 6-4 victory at last weekend’s Belgian Darts Open.

Meanwhile, Wright will be featuring in his first televised ranking event since undergoing gallstones surgery in August, having returned to winning ways at last month’s International Darts Open in Jena.

“I was really happy with the win in Jena,” said ‘Snakebite’ Wright. “I won it quite easily, beating some top players on the way through, so after the surgery it’s all good.

“I feel confident about where my game is. I think I’m in the top four on the averages over the past few months, so if I can hit my double to start, I should be pretty dangerous.”

Peter Wright will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive first round exit at the World Grand Prix

Wright, a runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in 2018, will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive first round exit in the double-start event when he takes on Belgian star Kim Huybrechts.

The world No 2 is without a televised ranking title since scooping his second World Championship crown in January, and he is determined to add to his haul in Leicester.

“The World Grand Prix is definitely on my list,” insisted Wright. “I was practising for this tournament straight after the surgery. I said to myself that I’ve got to start on tops because it gives you the chance to get the highest start, so fingers crossed it works.

“Kim is playing well. He’s in a good place and he’s beaten me quite a few times recently, but this is double-start so it’s a different playing field. If I hit my doubles, I’ll win.”

World No 1 Gerwyn Price takes on German debutant Martin Schindler in his opening round tie, while Michael van Gerwen begins his bid for a sixth World Grand Prix success against his old adversary Gary Anderson, in a repeat of the 2016 final.

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Dan Dawson and Colin Lloyd make their predictions ahead of the World Grand Prix in Leicester on the latest edition of Love The Darts

World Grand Prix
Schedule of Play
Monday October 3 (1900 BST)
8x First Round matches (best of three sets)
Callan Rydz vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Brendan Dolan vs Stephen Bunting
Chris Dobey vs Luke Humphries
Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Dave Chisnall
(7) Jonny Clayton vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
(2) Peter Wright vs Kim Huybrechts
(3) Michael van Gerwen vs Gary Anderson
(6) Jose de Sousa vs Adrian Lewis

Tuesday October 4 (1900 BST)
8x First Round matches (best of three sets)
Madars Razma vs Ryan Searle
Ross Smith vs Andrew Gilding
Danny Noppert vs Gabriel Clemens
Joe Cullen vs Damon Heta
(8) Rob Cross vs Daryl Gurney
(5) James Wade vs Martin Lukeman
(1) Gerwyn Price vs Martin Schindler
(4) Michael Smith vs Nathan Aspinall

Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. You can watch the 25th staging of the World Grand Prix ‘Double in, Double out’ set format on Sky Sports from October 2-8 in Leicester.

Highlights of the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Bayer  Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena.

Matt Lucas and Elis James challenge Darren Bent to recreate his famous beachball goal against Liverpool in 2009. Watch Fantasy Football League on Sky Max on Thursdays at 10pm.