World Grand Prix

The World Grand Prix 2022 was played from 3 till 9 October in the Morningside Arena in Leicester. The top 16 of the Order of Merit, plus the best 16 players from the ProTour Order of Merit make the field of 32 players. 

Traditionally all legs must not only be finished with a double, but each leg also must be started with a double. Jonny Clayton defended his title this year after claiming the crown last year against Gerwyn Price in the final. ‘The Ferret’ lost in the second round this year courtesy of Belgian ace Dimitri van den Bergh who was too strong for the Welshman.

Michael van Gerwen is the successor of Jonny Clayton. The Dutchman beats Englishman Nathan Aspinall 5-3 in the final. It is Mighty Mike's sixth World Grand Prix title. Early in the final it looks to be a simple victory for van Gerwen. The first four sets are all won by the Dutchman. In these sets he hits finishes of 116 and 112 along the way. Then Aspinall fights back into the game and comes back to 4-3. However, the Dutchman wins the eighth set 3-2 and thus takes his sixth World Grand Prix title.

Van Gerwen starts his tournament with a 2-0 win over Gary Anderson. In the second round Stephen Bunting plays strong, but the Englishman still loses. In the quarterfinals, the next Englishman, Chris Dobey, awaits the three-time world champion. Dobey takes one set and can therefore also travel home. Peter Wright does not show up at all in the semi-finals. The Scotsman takes only one leg in the entire match.

Nathan Aspinall has a tough route to the final. In the first round, the Asp faces Michael Smith. This match ends in a 2-1 victory, but in legs Aspinall wins big: 8-3. In the second round, the Englishman must deal with Danny Noppert. After trailing 2-1 in sets, Aspinall takes six legs in a row to win the match: 3-2. In the quarterfinals, tournament surprise Martin Lukeman is the strong opponent. It goes to a deciding set in which Aspinall plays very well and takes it 3-1. The Asp then faces Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals, but the Welshman cannot stop Aspinall's run either. With a 4-2 victory, the Englishman secures his place in the final.

In the first round there are a few surprise exits. Seeded players like Michael Smith, Rob Cross, James Wade and Jose de Sousa all do not survive the opening round. The highest finish of the tournament is a 167 by Michael van Gerwen and the best leg goes to Peter Wright for a 10-darter.