Luke Humphries hailed his comeback victory over Rowby-John Rodriguez as the greatest win of his career, after scooping the Interwetten European Darts Matchplay title in a thrilling finale in Trier on Sunday night.
Humphries fought back from 4-0 down to prevail 8-7 in an incredible contest, firing in six 180s and taking out three ton-plus finishes to clinch his fourth European Tour title of 2022.
The 27-year-old only claimed his maiden European Tour success in Munich over Easter, but he’s since embarked on a dominant run, establishing himself as one of the premier players in the sport.
“That is definitely one of the best finals we’ve had on the Euro Tour,” said Humphries, who converted 156, 148 and 112 checkouts before surviving a match dart in the decider.
“I’ve shown that it doesn’t matter if I’m 4-0 or 5-0 down, I have got that resilience to win.
“I’m over the moon, but credit goes to Rowby. He was absolutely fantastic. He threw everything at me, and he was so close to winning.”
Humphries stormed through to Sunday’s final in emphatic style, averaging 101 in a 6-1 demolition of Ian White, before whitewashing Stephen Bunting 7-0 in the semi-finals.
However, after overturning a four-leg deficit to deny Rodriguez a maiden PDC ranking title, Humphries claimed that self-belief was the key to his growing title haul.
“I’d say 18 months ago, I would have probably lost that 8-2 or 8-3, but I never give up, and that’s the strength I’ve got now, I don’t panic,” added the former World Youth Champion.
“I knew I had the game to come back, but that’s probably my greatest win ever.”
Humphries’ fifth PDC ranking title of the campaign draws him level with Michael van Gerwen’s 2022 tally, while extending his remarkable winning run on the European Tour to 15 matches.
The Newbury ace will now be among the leading contenders at this month’s Betfred World Matchplay, which takes place from July 16-24 at the iconic Winter Gardens.
Humphries, a UK Open runner-up in 2021, has made remarkable strides over the last 12 months, and he’s now bidding to cement his progress by claiming a first televised crown in Blackpool.
“I’m probably going into the World Matchplay as one of the favourites, but I’ve got to perform,” added the three-time World Championship quarter-finalist.
“The Matchplay is such a difficult tournament. It is a long format, but I have proved now that if I’m behind I can come back, and I will never give up.
“I’ve won three Euro Tour titles on the trot. I think Michael [van Gerwen] and Gerwyn [Price] have done that, but I’m not sure anyone else has, so that gives me huge confidence.”