The first round of the Boylesports World Grand Prix concludes in Leicester on Tuesday night so here's Chris Hammer's match-by-match preview and best bets.
World Grand Prix: Tuesday October 7
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1800 GMT)
- First-Round Format: Best of 3 sets. All sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any set. All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
SL Acca: 1pt Woodhouse (+1.5), Smith, Van Duijvenbode (+1.5) & Joyce (+1.5) at 9/2 with Sky Bet
Damon Heta (1/2) v Luke Woodhouse (6/4)
- Seasonal Average
Heta: 95.35
Woodhouse: 92.91 - 180s per leg in 2025
Heta: 0.22
Woodhouse: 0.24 - Checkout % in 2025
Heta: 44.56%
Woodhouse: 38.54% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Heta: 43.40%
Woodhouse: 52.78%
The last time these two players met in a major, Luke Woodhouse became an internet sensation for the greatest celebration ever to an opponent hitting a nine-dart finish.
As it's Luke Woodhouse v Damon Heta tonight, let's relive the best celebration for having a nine-darter hit against you 😃🙌
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) October 7, 2025
How can you not love darts... pic.twitter.com/LXp8isqjkj
The Sporting Gods smiled fondly on his act of genuine sportsmanship that day by helping him pull off a superb win and he'll be in fairly confident mood about repeating the trick in Leicester after recently reaching his first European Tour final, which he lost to Stephen Bunting.
Damon Heta has also enjoyed a decent season with a couple of titles and could have even made that three had he not fallen short against Wessel Nijman in a Players Championship final last week.
However, the Aussie has suffered first-round defeats in each of his four appearances here and will need his starting doubles to be as clinical as his impressive checkout percentage this season if he's to buck that trend.
Scoreline prediction: 1-2
Ross Smith (8/15) v Daryl Gurney (11/8)
- Seasonal Average
Smith: 97.05
Gurney: 93.58 - 180s per leg in 2025
Smith: 0.36
Gurney: 0.24 - Checkout % in 2025
Smith: 42.55%
Gurney: 40.82% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Smith: 40.54%
Gurney: 31.71%
SELECTION: 1pt Ross Smith to win and hit most 180s at 6/5 (Sky Bet)
Ross Smith is known for his maximum hitting than his doubling but 12 months ago he joined an elite group of nine players who have managed a 100+ average at double start.
The 101.79 he managed against Gian van Veen was not to be repeated as he was promptly beaten by Jonny Clayton in round two with a much more human mid-80s average but at least he knows he can produce high levels in this format.
He's never lost in the first round in four previous appearances here and arrives here with plenty of reasons to feel he can go further than ever.
On his last appearance on TV at the World Series Finals, he averaged 106 in a narrow 10-8 defeat to Luke Littler and since then he's exceeded 100 in six of his next 13 games, including a 104.32 in a Players Championship final victory over Josh Rock.
Daryl Gurney knows what it takes to win this competition having done so back in 2017 but he's not operating at Smith's levels right now in any key statistic listed above or results form so I expect the Englishman to progress.
Scoreline prediction: 2-0
Jonny Clayton (1/3) v Andrew Gilding (9/4)
- Seasonal Average
Clayton: 97.17
Gilding: 93.84 - 180s per leg in 2025
Clayton: 0.32
Gilding: 0.22 - Checkout % in 2025
Clayton: 43.45%
Gilding: 39.98% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Clayton: 46.67%
Gilding: 31.48%
SELECTION: 1pt Jonny Clayton to win and hit most 180s at evens (Sky Bet)
Jonny Clayton has enjoyed a resurgence on the big stage this season and he's certainly on my radar to challenge for his second World Grand Prix title.
As well as finishing runner-up at the World Masters - which went right down to the wire against Luke Humphries - he reached two semi-finals at the UK Open and World Matchplay, where he was eventually beaten 20-18 by James Wade in an all-time epic.
Clayton lifted this trophy during his golden year of 2021 and also had a decent quarter-final run here 12 months ago in which he fell short to Cool Hand.
The Welshman has picked up a couple of titles this season - including one on the European Tour - while his consistently impressive numbers mean his average of 99.14 since the start of July puts him inside the top four.
We can't underestimate Andrew Gilding based on his mediocre seasonal stats because he produced quite brilliant darts at the World Matchplay where he was eventually beaten by Luke Littler in a keenly contested quarter-final.
However, the Ferret has too much going in his favour and he should be strong enough to avoid any scares.
Scoreline prediction: 2-0
Gerwyn Price (2/5) v Ryan Searle (7/4)
- Seasonal Average
Price: 98.38
Searle: 95.95 - 180s per leg in 2025
Price: 0.33
Searle: 0.28 - Checkout % in 2025
Price: 42.95%
Searle: 39.93% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Price: 42.86%
Searle: 43.36%
Gerwyn Price has a phenomenal double-start record in recent times and will take some stopping this week.
The Iceman won this event in 2020 before reaching two further finals in 2021 and 2023 either side of a semi-final run so there's clearly nothing about this format that fazes him.
On top of this, Price has enjoyed another superb season with seven titles to his name across the European Tour, World Series and Players Championships, while he's also reached the semi-finals of the Premier League and World Series of Darts Finals.
Statistically his average of 98.51 since the start of July is in the top five on tour and although his healthy finishing of 42% is outside the top 10, I think it's more than fair to say that his excellent track record in this tournament shows how his nerve stands up to the double-start format better than most.
Ryan Searle, who comes into this event fresh from picking up his second Players Championship title of the year, is certainly no gimme but his track record in majors hasn't been spectacular and apart from a quarter-final run here in 2021, he's suffered three first-round exits in five appearances.
Scoreline prediction: 2-0
Luke Littler (2/5) v Gian van Veen (7/4)
- Seasonal Average
Littler: 100.96
Van Veen: 97.86 - 180s per leg in 2025
Littler: 0.45
Van Veen: 0.31 - Checkout % in 2025
Littler: 41.66%
Van Veen: 46.65% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Littler: 50%
Van Veen: 14.29%
SELECTION: 1pt over 5.5 180s in Littler v Van Veen at evens (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
Luke Littler is chasing his first ever win at the World Grand Prix after his early exit on debut 12 months but he opens up against a player he's lost to three times out of four this season in Gian van Veen.
Since Littler's crushing 10-4 UK Open quarter-final triumph over Gian van Veen with an average of 107 back in March, the young Dutchman has hit back with two victories on the European Tour and one in a Players Championship event to underline his genuine star potential.
Van Veen, who also has a 0-1 record at the World Grand Prix, has reached four finals this season, winning one of them against Luke Humphries back in March, while his average of 97.48 since the start of July in all competitions puts him well inside the top 10 on the circuit.
On top of that, his checkout percentage of almost 46% in this same period is third only to Damon Heta and Gary Anderson so that kind of doubling is bound to come in handy in this format.
He's getting more and more used to the pressures of the big stage as we saw with three fine runs to the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam, UK Open and World Matchplay in the past 11 months so if he causes a big upset against Littler, then you wouldn't be surprised to see him venture into the latter stages.
But let's not forget that Littler is 'the' last person everyone else wants to face.
The world champion is boasting an average of 101.50 since the start of July, which is two points higher than his nearest rival Stephen Bunting, and in that time he produced a string of stunning performances to win the World Matchplay as well as two World Series titles - one of which he averaged 115 in the final against Luke Humphries.
An ultra-focused Littler is even more dangerous than usual so I do think he'll get that maiden victory in a match which promises plenty of 180s if we can get three sets out of it. given their highly prolific maximum per leg rates.
Scoreline prediction: 2-1
Michael van Gerwen (2/5) v Dirk van Duijvenbode (7/4)
- Seasonal Average
MVG: 96.85
Van Duijvenbode: 96.86 - 180s per leg in 2025
MVG: 0.28
Van Duijvenbode: 0.40 - Checkout % in 2025
MVG: 39.44%
Van Duijvenbode: 41.65% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
MVG: 45.66%
Van Duijvenbode: 51.18%
An emotional Michael van Gerwen ended his two-year wait for a big TV title at the World Series of Darts last month and some may feel this could be the start of another resurgence in his remarkable career.
It may not be regarded as a 'proper' major, but he did have to defeat Luke Humphries, Josh Rock and Luke Littler to do it, let alone Rob Cross and Wessel Nijman in the earlier rounds.
He's bounced back from difficult times before in 2022 when he won the World Matchplay, Premier League, World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals following a lean patch in the Covid era but this time he's got the two Lukes to deal with.
Before he can think about winning this trophy for the seventh time, he's got a tricky opening assignment against fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, who has produced some impressive darts in spells this year.
He hasn't won a World Grand Prix match in four attempts since reaching the final on debut in 2020 but his heavy scoring will apply pressure on MVG if he can get in quickly on a consistent basis so I expect this to go the distance.
Scoreline prediction: 2-1
Peter Wright (5/2) v Mike De Decker (2/7)
- Seasonal Average
Wright: 92.62
De Decker: 94.52 - 180s per leg in 2025
Wright: 0.26
De Decker: 0.33 - Checkout % in 2025
Wright: 37.6%
De Decker: 38.99% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Wright: 40.14%
De Decker: 49.59%
Mike de Decker is bidding to become only the third different player ever to defend the World Grand Prix title but the fact he's priced up as a 66/1 outsider shows just how much he's struggled to contend for major honours since then.
The rising Belgian star prevented Luke Humphries from joining Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in that extremely elite club when springing a huge upset in the 2024 final yet there's not many people banging the drum about his chances of lifting this trophy again.
Except Paul Nicholson in his Sporting Life column.
Even if he had fared pretty well, defending this particular trophy has always been one of the hardest feats in darts.
On a positive note, he has got one of the softer draws available in Peter Wright, who has been struggling to average in the 90s in recent months so a winning start may well ignite his belief again.
Scoreline prediction: 2-0
Josh Rock (2/7) v Ryan Joyce (5/2)
- Seasonal Average
Rock: 98.70
Joyce: 92.83 - 180s per leg in 2025
Rock: 0.41
Joyce: 0.19 - Checkout % in 2025
Rock: 40.68%
Joyce: 41.85% - World GP Double In % Since 2020
Rock: 40%
Joyce: 54.37%
SELECTION: 1pts Joyce to win and Rock to hit most 180s at 5/2 (General)
Josh Rock has no shortage of backers to win his maiden major title this week but I fear he's at risk of an early exit at the hands of the player who dumped him out in round one last year.
The Northern Irishman has been one of the revelations of the season with a string of show-stopping performances that helped him reach the semi-finals of both the UK Open and World Matchplay, while he brilliantly won the World Cup of Darts alongside Daryl Gurney.
He did overcome Price 16-11 in Blackpool with both players averaging over 100 and it took a herculean effort from Littler in the last four to prevent him from reaching a landmark first major final.
There's no doubt all the stats point towards Rock overcoming this early obstacle but Ryan Joyce must not be underestimated, particularly in this format.
Joyce, who has always been known for his lethal accuracy on double 16, boasted a starting double percentage of 51% during his run to the semi-finals 12 months ago and he could have gone further had Humphries not delivered one of the tournament's rare 100+ averages against him.
If Rock can't get away cleanly enough then it could be a very uncomfortable night for him.
Scoreline prediction: 1-2
World Grand Prix Draw
- (1) Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall
- (16) Martin Schindler v Krzysztof Ratajski
- (8) Chris Dobey v Cameron Menzies
- (9) Rob Cross v Wessel Nijman
- (4) Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer
- (13) Danny Noppert v Jermaine Wattimena
- (5) James Wade v Joe Cullen
- (12) Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
- (2) Luke Littler v Gian van Veen
- (15) Peter Wright v Mike De Decker
- (7) Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle
- (10) Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce
- (3) Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
- (14) Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney
- (6) Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding
- (11) Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse
2025 World Grand Prix Schedule
Tuesday October 7 (1800 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
First Round (Best of 3 sets)
- Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse
- Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney
- Jonny Clayton v Andrew Gilding
- Gerwyn Price v Ryan Searle
- Luke Littler v Gian van Veen
- Michael van Gerwen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Peter Wright v Mike De Decker
- Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce
Wednesday October 8 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Second Round matches (Best of 5 sets)
- Four matches
Thursday October 9 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Second Round matches (Best of 5 sets)
- Four matches
Friday October 10 (1900 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Quarter-Finals (Best of seven sets)
- Four matches
Saturday October 11 (2030 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Semi-Finals (Best of seven sets)
- Two matches
Sunday October 13 (2000 BST)
TV Channel: Sky Sports
Final (Best of nine sets)
- Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2
What TV channel is the World Grand Prix on?
The World Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
World Grand Prix Prize Money
- Winner - £120,000
- Runner-up - £60,000
- Semi-finalists - £40,000
- Quarter-finalists - £25,000
- Second round - £15,000
- First round - £7,500
Tournament Format
- All Sets are the best of five legs. There will be no tie-break in any set.
- All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
- First Round - Best of three sets
- Second Round - Best of five sets
- Quarter-Finals - Best of five sets
- Semi-Finals - Best of seven sets
- Final - Best of nine sets
World Grand Prix History
- Final scores in sets
- 1998 - Phil Taylor 13-8 Rod Harrington
- 1999 - Phil Taylor 6-1 Shayne Burgess
- 2000 - Phil Taylor 6-1 Shayne Burgess
- 2001 - Alan Warriner 8-2 Roland Scholten
- 2002 - Phil Taylor 7-3 John Part
- 2003 - Phil Taylor 7-2 John Part
- 2004 - Colin Lloyd 7-3 Alan Warriner
- 2005 - Phil Taylor 7-1 Colin Lloyd
- 2006 - Phil Taylor 7-4 Terry Jenkins
- 2007 - James Wade 6-3 Terry Jenkins
- 2008 - Phil Taylor 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld
- 2009 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
- 2010 - James Wade 6-3 Adrian Lewis
- 2011 - Phil Taylor 6-3 Brendan Dolan
- 2012 - Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Mervyn King
- 2013 - Phil Taylor 6-0 Dave Chisnall
- 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 5-3 James Wade
- 2015 - Robert Thornton 5-4 Michael van Gerwen
- 2016 - Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Gary Anderson
- 2017 - Daryl Gurney 5-4 Simon Whitlock
- 2018 - Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Peter Wright
- 2019 - Michael van Gerwen 5-1 Dave Chisnall
- 2020 - Gerwyn Price 5-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- 2021 - Jonny Clayton 5-1 Gerwyn Price
- 2022 - Michael van Gerwen 5-3 Nathan Aspinall
- 2023 - Luke Humphries 5-2 Gerwyn Price
- 2024 - Mike de Decker 6-4 Luke Humphries
World Grand Prix Most Titles
- Phil Taylor - 11
- Michael van Gerwen - 6
- James Wade - 2
- Mike de Decker - 1
- Luke Humphries - 1
- Jonny Clayton - 1
- Gerwyn Price - 1
- Daryl Gurney - 1
- Colin Lloyd - 1
- Alan Warriner - 1
- Robert Thornton - 1
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