The Dutchman, chasing a sixth title in the competition, was roared on by a partisan crowd at AFAS Live as he dramatically squeezed past Rob Cross.
Van Gerwen produced a 122 checkout on the bull to level in leg 10, before sealing victory with a clinical 111 finish after Cross had missed a match dart.
“It’s always tough playing Rob because you know what he’s capable of,” reflected Van Gerwen, who also survived a match dart in his tie against Wessel Nijman on Friday.
“Rob is one of the best players in the world, and I made it difficult for myself, but I’m really glad to win this game.
“There are signs that I’m coming back, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m only in the quarter-finals, so I need to put my head on for tomorrow afternoon.”
Humphries booked his place in the last eight with a 6-4 win over Kevin Doets, averaging 101.87 and landing seven 180s. The reigning world champion was full of respect for his next opponent.
“I had a lot of support tonight, which was great, and I’m looking forward to playing Michael tomorrow,” said the 2023/24 World Champion.
“Michael is a great friend of mine. I love him to bits, and he thrives in these environments, so it will be a really tough game.
“I’ve played in these situations many times, and I beat Michael in Rotterdam in the Premier League last year, so hopefully I won’t let the atmosphere affect me too much.”
Gerwyn Price also advanced, overturning a 3-1 deficit to defeat Raymond van Barneveld. The Welshman averaged almost 103 and landed six doubles from nine attempts to outlast the five-time world champion, who had earlier beaten Cor Dekker.
“That was a great win for me, I had to keep focused until the very end,” said Price, who is chasing a third World Series of Darts Finals title.
“Raymond was fantastic, and he had the support of the crowd, which he deserves, because he’s a legend of the game.
“I was right up against it at 3-1 down, but I think my finishing won me the game tonight.”
Price will now face Chris Dobey, who dropped only three legs across his two matches.
Defending champion Luke Littler kept his title defence alive with victories over Simon Whitlock and Jonny Clayton, the teenager recovering from 3-0 down to see off Clayton, who missed eight darts at double to force a decider.
Littler now meets Ross Smith, a 6-4 winner against Dave Chisnall.
Elsewhere, Josh Rock produced the display of the tournament so far, averaging 107.36 in a 6-0 demolition of Danny Noppert in just 10 minutes.
The Northern Irishman will play Mike De Decker, who knocked out Damon Heta with another assured performance on the doubles.
The quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for the evening session.
Click here for match stats and more.
Results
Afternoon session
Chris Dobey 6-2 Luke Woodhouse
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Peter Wright
Ross Smith 6-4 Jonny Tata
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Cor Dekker
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Danny Lauby
Luke Littler 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Jonny Clayton 6-0 Jason Brandon
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Nathan Aspinall
Evening session
Mike De Decker 6-4 Damon Heta
Josh Rock 6-0 Danny Noppert
Luke Humphries 6-4 Kevin Doets
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Rob Cross
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Chris Dobey 6-1 Cameron Menzies
Luke Littler 6-4 Jonny Clayton
Ross Smith 6-4 Dave Chisnall