Huybrechts full of praise for latest ranking winner Rock: “He is undoubtedly going to be world champion one day”

Four Players Championship tournaments were completed last week. Josh Rock, a barely 21-year-old Northern Irishman, particularly impressed in them.

Rock won Players Championship 28, a few days earlier he had also reached the final. At the latter tournament, Kim Huybrechts went down in the last 16 against Rock. "If you look at his matches now and actually those of the whole season, it's fair to say that Josh is currently the talent of the darts world. And that he is conquering darts. Moreover, he is a particularly likeable guy and very humble," Huybrechts told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

"I have nothing but praise for Josh Rock," the 36-year-old Belgian continued. 'Sometimes we do talk about the ins and outs of darts. I have already told him that he should just continue doing as he is doing, with his feet on the ground."

Rock only captured a Tour Card early this year, but his status has changed somewhat in the meantime. "You are extra wary in the meantime when you have to play against Rock. He is extra in form, but I don't look at him differently from a Jonny Clayton or Dirk van Duijvenbode. But Josh does seem to throw averages of 108 and so on very easily. The World Championship? It seems a bit too early for him to go there as a favourite. He has been very good on the floor tournaments and on the European Tour he was also doing reasonably well, but Josh has yet to prove it on stage. Those are the toughest tournaments and still a different matter. But I am curious, he is undoubtedly going to be world champion one day. Just not yet within the first three years, I think."