The Forum Copenhagen is set to ignite with tungsten-fueled excitement as the 2025 Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters reaches its climactic finale on Saturday, June 7. Following a gripping first round on Friday, the stage is primed for a blockbuster evening featuring the world’s elite darts players. Reigning champion Gerwyn Price, world number one Luke Humphries, and teenage prodigy Luke Littler lead a stellar lineup of eight PDC stars vying for the coveted £20,000 top prize in the Danish capital. With quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final all unfolding in a single night, the Nordic Darts Masters promises a spectacle of precision, drama, and high-stakes competition.
Friday’s opening round saw all eight PDC representatives advance, setting the stage for an explosive Saturday session. The quarter-final matchups are a darting fan’s dream, kicking off with a clash between defending champion Gerwyn Price and Premier League victor Luke Humphries. Price, known as “The Iceman,” powered past Norway’s Cor Dekker 6-3, showcasing the form that saw him triumph in Copenhagen last year with an 8-5 victory over Rob Cross. Humphries, fresh off his Premier League title win, narrowly escaped a resilient Madars Razma of Latvia in a 6-5 last-leg thriller, clinching the match with a stunning 125 checkout. “You can’t win all these titles and not be hungry,” Humphries declared, emphasizing his relentless drive. “I’m still young, so I’ve got the chance to get better. I feel like I need to, because if I don’t, the younger generation are going to come through and take over.”
The second quarter-final pits world champion Luke Littler against Nathan Aspinall, who’s riding a wave of confidence after dominating the European Darts Open last week. Littler, making his Nordic Darts Masters debut, overcame a sluggish start against Sweden’s Viktor Tingstrom, eventually securing a 6-3 win despite an uncharacteristically low 90.19 average. The 18-year-old, dubbed “The Nuke,” missed last year’s event due to a family vacation but is now chasing his third World Series title after victories in Bahrain and Poland in 2024. Aspinall, meanwhile, delivered a masterclass in finishing, whitewashing local favorite Benjamin Reus 6-0 with checkouts of 138 and 92, despite jeers from the Copenhagen crowd. “Darts is tough. We all feel it sometimes when they’re not quite going, if the crowd gets on your back,” reflected Rob Cross, whose sentiments echo the pressure Aspinall faced.
Top seed Stephen Bunting, the Bahrain Darts Masters champion, faces Jonny Clayton in another mouthwatering quarter-final. Bunting dispatched Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak 6-3, while Clayton survived a nail-biting encounter against Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas, sealing a 6-5 victory with a clutch double five after surviving two match darts. Clayton’s highlight was a roof-raising 170 finish, a testament to his flair under pressure. The final quarter-final sees Rob Cross, the 2018 world champion and recent Dutch Darts Masters winner, take on Chris Dobey. Cross, who overcame Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson 6-4, has been inconsistent this season but remains a formidable threat. Dobey, a late replacement for Michael van Gerwen, cruised past Jeffrey de Graaf 6-2, capitalizing on his opportunity to shine.
The Nordic Darts Masters, the third stop in the 2025 World Series of Darts, carries a £60,000 prize pool, with all participants guaranteed £1,250 and the runner-up pocketing £10,000. The winner, however, will claim not only the £20,000 jackpot but also valuable points for the World Series Order of Merit. Broadcast live on ITV4 and PDC TV, the action kicks off at 7:00 p.m. local time, promising a frenetic evening as the quarter-finals (best of 11 legs), semi-finals (best of 13 legs), and final (best of 15 legs) unfold consecutively. Fans can expect a charged atmosphere at Forum Copenhagen, where local hopes were dashed in the first round but the passion for darts remains unrelenting.
As the PDC’s finest battle for supremacy, the narrative is rich with storylines: Price’s quest for back-to-back titles, Humphries’ hunger to add a World Series crown to his resume, and Littler’s bid to cement his meteoric rise. With Cross aiming to rediscover his “Voltage” spark and Aspinall’s red-hot form, the path to the final is fraught with unpredictability. “I’m chuffed to bits,” Price said after his 2024 triumph, reflecting on the luck and skill needed to cross the finish line. Tonight, one player will etch their name into darts history, lifting the Nordic Darts Masters trophy in a city that thrives on darting drama.
Leave a Reply