Close friend "going through some real hardship" gives James Wade extra motivation at Grand Slam of Darts

James Wade into yet another major quarter-final after overcoming Chris Dobey 10-8 in their last 16 tie at the Grand Slam of Darts.

“We want to win a little bit too much at times, and that’s what happened tonight,” admitted Wade post-match, not completely content with his performance despite hovering below the 100 average for most of the match and a number of trademark ton-plus checkouts.

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Despite being typically ruthless on the outer ring for most of the match, the match winning dart was a struggle for Wade. 'The Machine' finally clinched double 10 with his 8th match dart, having survived three missed darts at double 18 from Dobey that would have sent the match to a deciding leg. “I let so many opportunities go and I didn’t get it wrapped up, but luckily Chris missed some big shots, because if he forced a decider, I dare say he probably would have won," Wade says.

For Wade, there was actually extra motivation to perform, as he explained to Online Darts. "There's a couple of people in that crowd that do way more for me than anyone ever has done, and one of them's going through some real hardship at the moment," he explains. "I probably took it a little bit personally and probably tried a little bit too hard. If I didn't do that it would have been over and done with way before."

On Friday, Wade will take on maiden major quarter-finalist Josh Rock for a place in the last four. "He's a good player and he's a star. Sky love him, ITV love him, so he's a great influence for TV and younger dart players which is always good," Wade says of his upcoming opponent.

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