World Grand Prix Tuesday Tips

It was a bit of a struggle for us last night. At least we finished off with a winner with Jose De Sousa winning 2-0. Let’s hope we continue in the same vein this evening. Check out James Punt’s World Grand Prix Tuesday tips and preview below.

Ryan Searle vs. Luke Humphries

The H2H stats show a 3-3 record. Humphries won their only meeting in 2021 10-7 at the UK Open, which is their only stage match.

Searle is in very good form, winning thirteen of his last fifteen matches and he is consistent, averaging mid to high nineties as the norm and occasionally very big ton pluses. He had to work quite hard to beat Dimitri van den Bergh 2-1 in the first round with both his sets going to a deciding leg and both players missed match darts before Heavy Metal finally landed a double 10 to win. It was a good test and another confidence booster.

Searle said he enjoys the format, and he feels it suits him. He had a few days practice with Gary Anderson recently which has sharpened up his game. It must be said that his stage form is not as good as his floor form. He has played 33 TV matches and won just 15. That said, he has played in three World Championships and reached the last 16 twice, so he can perform on the big stages, but he just doesn’t have a huge amount of experience being a relative newcomer.

Unconvincing Humphries

Luke Humphries wasn’t entirely convincing when beating the out of form Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-0. That win makes it seven wins from his last ten matches and like Searle, he is in in good form. His big stage form is better than Searle’s, winning 23 of his 36 TV matches.

One bookmaker makes Luke Humphries the 2.00 favourite, Searle can be backed at 2.10, so it is closer than a close thing. Most of the bookmakers make Humphries a 1.80 shot, so Ladbrokes offer of 2.00 does stand out.

It is tempting to take on Ladbrokes’s odds, but given the two players form and H2H record, this is a toss-up. We are on Humphries to win the quarter and that is enough interest in the game for me. No bet.

James Wade vs. Stephen Bunting

Bunting leads the H2H stats 6-3 which is a bit of a surprise but four of his wins came in 2014 when Bunting was at his best. Wade won their only match this year 6-2 but Bunting knocked Wade out of the World Championship in December 2020.

Wade had to work hard to beat Damon Heta in the first round. Heta hit a load of 180’s but couldn’t convert that into a match win and Wade picked his pocket in the end. It was a match that Wade could quite easily have lost, and he wasn’t that impressive, just very effective.

Stephen Bunting was very impressive when beating Daryl Gurney in the first round. It was a straightforward 2-0 win. He only dropped two legs and averaged 99. He now has to do something that he hasn’t done since 2014 and win a second-round match in the World Grand Prix. That said, so does Wade.

Bunting Better Form

If both players play to the same level tonight, then Bunting wins. However, Bunting has not exactly been a solid betting proposition and he usually throws in a poor performance in the big events. That said, he won a players championship event back in July, his first title since 2016. A title can make a big difference to a player’s confidence and perhaps it is a lack of confidence that has held Bunting back since his switch to the PDC.

It is interesting that in their TV matches, Wade has won just one from seven and that was way back in 2012.

It looks like it is worth taking a chance on Bunting.

World Grand Prix Tuesday Tips: 1 point Stephen Bunting to win @ 2.50 generally available

Gerwyn Price vs. Merv King

Price swept Michael Smith in the first round winning 2-0 and averaging 100.8. He has won fourteen of his last fifteen matches and looks in top form. Price on his A game is very hard to oppose. The way he won the final leg against Smith was awesome. Smith opened with a 160, Price took four darts to get in and was way behind, but he just steamed in and took advantage of the inevitable Smith misses on three doubles to win the set.

Merv King beat Kleermaker in the opening round, he won 2-0 but it wasn’t a great performance with both players averaging in the mid 70’s. Clearly King is going to have to do a lot better to have any chance in this game.

Merv has a decent record against Gerwyn at 4-4 and he won their only match in 2021 11-10 in the semi-final of the Masters back in January. Before that, Price had beaten King 4-1 at the World Championships. I expect a repeat of the later tonight.

Price is the 1.25 favourite, but he should be backed to win big. When Price has beaten King, he has always done so easily with scores of 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 and 4-1.

World Grand Prix Tuesday Tips: 2 points Price to win -1.5 sets @ 1.60 with Ladbrokes

World Grand Prix Tuesday Tips: 1 point Price to win 3-0 @ 3.00 with Ladbrokes

Dave Chisnall vs. Ross Smith

The H2H record here is just 3-2 to Chisnall. They have not met on TV before and obviously Chisnall has a lot more experience of this format having made two finals, two semi-finals and a quarter final. Smith is new to the format, and he only started practicing it in the last couple of weeks.

Smudger beat the fancied Joe Cullen 2-0 and dropped just the one leg. Cullen was poor but Smith got the job done with little fuss, despite admitting to being nervous. With a win under his belt, he should be a little less nervous tonight. Like Stephen Bunting, Ross Smith won a players championship title recently and while he hasn’t kicked on since then, he can only be feeling good about his game. He is in decent form, winning six of his last ten matches.

Dave Chisnall has won five of his last ten matches and has been inconsistent, with his averages being anything between 105 and 85. Smith is not much better, and this is hard to call as a result. Chisnall has played eight second round matches in this event and won five. Will his experience be the deciding factor? Maybe.

Chizzy is the 1.62 favourite, Smith 2.50. There is more value in Smiths odds but this looks too unpredictable to make it a good betting match. No bet.

-JamesPunt