'It’s always a battle, always good fun' - Luke Humphries speaks on rivalry with Nathan Aspinall after edging him in a thriller

Luke Humphries was embroiled in a tight match against Nathan Aspinall, but showed his class in key moments to stay ahead and advance to the next round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy.

The world number one collected his first European Tour title of 2025 two weeks ago in Prague, defeating World Cup winner Josh Rock 8-5 in the final. He will be looking to win back-to-back titles, and his first in Budapest. His best result in Hunfary came in 2023, where, despite averaging over a ton, he was defeated in a last-leg decider against Dave Chisnall.

Humphries took the lead with what would turn out to be a crucial break of throw. He would just keep his nose in front despite the efforts of The Asp, and magnificently took out 130 whilst Aspinall was sitting on 83 to break. He capped off the performance with a 72 checkout, just edging a tough opponent.

After the match, Humphries said: "Our games are always great. Nathan said he was happy; he’s changed back to the darts he usually relies on and he looks so much better this weekend. With the old darts it just didn’t suit him. With the new darts, it’s like playing the old Nathan Aspinall.

"He was right in what he said yesterday—I saw something where he said we always have good games, and we do. It’s always a battle, always good fun, and always hard games against each other. For a second-round game for me, that’s a really tough draw. It’s not the best draw. So yeah, you’re kind of thinking it’s a tough task. But obviously, I know I’m one of the best players in the world and I can beat anybody—that’s what you have to rely on. I think Nathan played absolutely brilliant there. I think the one leg where I took out double 10 with the last dart was a crucial point in the game."

Humphries admitted to having flashbacks of previous ties with Aspinall and did not want to open the door for a possible comeback, knowing there would be a high chance of him getting punished.

"One game I go back to is the Manchester Premier League final against him—I got my nose in front and then sort of let it slip away," Humphries said. "Sometimes those moments replay in your mind, but you want to put them right. I feel like I’m such a great front-runner, but then all of a sudden everything can be on the wire. You just have to accept that happens sometimes. But like you said, those crucial shots—the 130, that 72 checkout to avoid creating drama—those are the sort of things I want to do. I don’t want to create drama and let players in. If that goes 5–0 with him throwing, it’s a different story. So yeah, I’m really pleased with the finishing in the important moments."

The crowd was also getting into it, despite being quite subdued for a majority of the weekend. "Yeah, it is. That’s a big match-up in the darting world—me and Nathan," he said. "We’ve played each other many, many times, mostly in the Premier League. These are big games. For the crowd to come all this way and see a game like that is really special. I’m glad we gave them a good game. Of course it wasn’t our best, but sometimes it doesn’t have to be.

He will face the World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker in the third round, as he admitted that he usually performs better on Sunday's."You know what I’m like—first game is never the best. Usually Sunday is when I come to fruition. Hopefully that’s the same tomorrow—whether it’s afternoon or night—and hopefully I can bring my best stuff, which I know I’m capable of."