"I don't think there's anyone better than me in those high-pressure situations" - James Wade reacts to thrilling win over Josh Rock at the Grand Slam of Darts

James Wade prevailed in a battle between youth and experience on Friday night against Josh Rock. In a thrilling tie, 'the Machine' took a 16-15 victory to book a place in the semi-finals.

"To hit the doubles like I did at the end, there's not many players who can do that," Wade said delightedly post-match. "I got a bit lucky, Josh was way better than me tonight. I'm still not at my best but I'll always keep fighting. I don't think there's anyone better than me in those high-pressure situations, but I have to be good in those moments because other players score better than me."

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After having run out into an early lead, Wade was pegged back by Rock and was forced to mount a brilliant, back-to-the-wall comeback from 15-12 behind. "When I got the chance at double 14 I thought Christmas had come early, then I hit double 11 and thought 'you silly boy!' Thankfully I hit probably the best double three of my life," he laughs. "I enjoyed the interaction with the crowd tonight, they were brilliant to me and I'm looking forward to coming back on Sunday."

In his post-match press conference, Wade elaborated further on his opponent and was full of praise for the Northern Irish number one. "He's a great player. He's going to go on and win TV tournaments 100%," Wade tells Online Darts.

But when asked if Rock will learn from this defeat, "This is going to sound unprofessional but I don't care what Josh does," is Wade's response. "He's a good lad, a great player and we'll see what he's doing in five years time."

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