Gerwyn Price staged a stunning escape to keep his UK Open hopes alive, rallying from 9-4 down to edge Keane Barry 10-9 in a last-16 thriller. The Welshman admitted relief after the match, crediting a late momentum shift and a slice of luck. "When I got it back to 9-8, I was thinking he's under it," Price said. "I started with a 180 and thought, 'Here we go.' One of his darts fell on the floor and I was like, 'Oh, thank God for that.'" The victory came a day after his 41st birthday, with Price noting, "If I'd lost, I would've just gone home."
Despite the dramatic win, Price was critical of his performance, stating, "I gave too many chances away by missing doubles." He praised Barry's play, saying, "Keane played a decent game as well and every opportunity I gave him, fair play to him, he took." The atmosphere added to the drama, with Price observing the crowd support was "pretty mutual" but ramped up as he mounted his comeback. Interestingly, he revealed he was "zoned in" and barely heard the noise during most of the match.
Price brushed off concerns about a back injury, saying, "My back is fine," but disclosed an unusual pre-match issue: "I opened the door with my leg — probably because I haven't been to the gym for a couple of weeks — and I pulled my groin. It's strange. It doesn't hurt when I play, but it hurts when I'm not playing." He also dismissed frequent discussion about his major ranking title drought, insisting, "Honestly, I don't think about it one bit. You guys keep bringing it up." Price emphasized he's still collecting ranking points through Pro Tours and European Tours and sees this season as a chance to climb back toward world number five.
Reflecting on the modern game, Price noted, "The standard now is ridiculous. Even when you play well you can still go out because someone else throws a great game against you." He admitted luck played a role in his comeback, adding, "I probably had a little bit of luck at the right moment today. Sometimes that's what you need to win tournaments." Price is focusing on rediscovering enjoyment, saying, "Over the last couple of years I've been down on myself and quite negative. If I can just enjoy it and smile when I lose and smile when I win, that's enough." Still, he retains ambitious goals, highlighting the UK Open, Players Championship Finals, and Premier League as events he hasn't won but would love to, though he concluded, "But if I don't, I'm still happy." Price now faces Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals.
