Luke Humphries barges past James Wade after their clash. (Image: ITV)
World No.1 Luke Humphries launched into an uncharacteristic social media rant after losing his UK Open quarter-final match with James Wade. ‘The Machine’ won an absorbing clash 10-9 in Minehead, taking out double tops at the first attempt to seal an upset win.
Humphries, long considered one of the sport’s most composed and dignified characters, appeared irate as he left the stage. Despite accepting a quick handshake from Wade, he also appeared to barge him with his shoulder before heading backstage.
‘Cool hand Luke’ then later responded to a fan on X who had noted the unsavoury finish, writing: “Everyone loves to see people be a bad loser but I’m generally one of the best losers in the sport.
“I wasn’t going to give someone who didn’t deserve my respect after what he was doing through the game a hug and be all happy about it that’s just my honesty.”
His anger appeared to relate to the pre-match exchange between the pair. Wade seemingly licked the neck of his opponent as they shared a handshake and a hug, leading to a frosty atmosphere at the oche throughout the match.
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James Wade celebrates his win. (Image: Getty)
Notably, at 9-9, the two players didn’t share a fist bump, which has become standard practice when a match goes to a deciding leg. Although afterwards, Wade seemed to avoid talking about the apparent fallout when interviewed on stage.
“I played Luke who is the best player in the world at the moment,” he said, of his dramatic win. “Luke will probably win another two or three TV majors this year.”
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