Former world number one Luke Humphries admitted he was disappointed despite a 3-0 win over Niels Zonneveld putting him into the semifinals of the World Grand Prix.
Humphries conceded only four legs over the course of his victory and despite passing 150 maximums for the tournament the 31-year-old castigated himself.
"I'm really disappointed. I felt really good in practice, but I came out here tonight and it didn't feel great to be honest," he told Sky Sports.
"It kind of felt like I was the second-best player for the first two sets but I got away with it. It's one of those performances where you're not thrilled, but I won 3-0.
"Hopefully tomorrow night is a lot better, because if it isn't I won't be here on Sunday."
Humphries faces James Wade, whose wish for an early night was granted as he swept aside Gian Van Veen 3-1.
"I want to go to bed, I'm tired. I went to sleep last night about midnight and I woke up at 5am and thought 'I'm not around the kids, so why am I waking up so early?'" he said.
"I was really fortunate Gian played like he did. He was pretty poor and I capitalised on that and bashed him up."
- Why is Luke Littler being booed by darts fans?
- World Grand Prix Darts 2026: Schedule, prize money, venue, dates
Gerwyn Price recovered from two sets down to win 3-2 against Johnny Clayton, who also squandered match darts.
"I'm just glad I got over the winning line. I thought I was dead and buried, but I never gave up," said Price, who was 2-0 down in the final set.
"For two sets, I was pretty much unplayable and I wish I just could have kept it up in the last set."
Nathan Aspinall cruised into his semi-final against Price with a 3-0 win over Ryan Joyce, with a rogue fly briefly interrupting a 112 checkout on his way to victory.
