Luke Humphries says only one player is operating at an 'incredible level' at the World Darts Championship this year.
Defending champion Humphries was knocked out of this year's competition following his shock defeat to Peter Wright, who rolled back the years to deliver a stunning showing at Ally Pally.
Wright, who is seeded No.17, stormed to an astonishing 4-1 victory on Sunday.
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Wright and Humphries had been involved in a war of words before their clash but they shared a warm embrace on the oche after the game.
The Scot has endured a tough year but said in the build-up he was confident of beating Humphries and Luke Littler.
Speaking before his defeat, Humphries named the only player who has performed at the World Darts Championship as he snubbed Wright.
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He singled out Callan Rydz, who averaged 107.06 in the opening round before securing another victory over Martin Schindler.
And Rydz, who faces Robert Owen this afternoon, followed that win with a remarkable 4-0 victory over Dimitri van den Bergh in the third round.
"I’ve been watching it as a fan, so I’ve been watching a lot of the players," Humphries said after winning his third round match against Nick Kenny.
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"And I just kind of don’t really see anybody that’s really put their hand up and performed at an absolutely incredible level.
"The only one off is Callan Rydz. I didn’t see that game but that’s the only one that’s really performed, to me. I mean Luke [Littler] had that incredible last set [against White] but before that he wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
"And none of us have! So I think there’s a lot of pressure on everyone this year. I think everybody’s sort of seeing an opportunity, and it’s kind of making everyone try too hard."
The World Darts Championship is hotting up with Rydz and Wright looking in fine form while tournament favourite Littler has been tipped to go all the way this year.
Topics: Darts
Nasir Jabbar