“I need to go back to Q-School” - Rusty-Jake Rodriguez faces fight for his Tour Card despite stunning Ross Smith at Grand Slam of Darts

Rusty-Jake Rodriguez took out tops to beat Ross Smith 5-3 in Wolverhampton on Saturday night, eight days after winning three matches just to get into the Grand Slam of Darts. The reigning European champion had missed 13 darts at double, and Rodriguez had made him pay. Asked afterwards whether the win felt like a fresh start after two difficult seasons, the Austrian said he expected his future on the PDC tour to be settled at Q-School.

Smith arrived in Wolverhampton less than three weeks after beating Martin Schindler to win the European Championship. Rodriguez broke in the first leg on double eight, held with a 53 checkout and broke again after Smith missed two darts at double 16. He had a 3-0 lead in a race to five, with Smith yet to hit a double.

“He didn’t play his A-game, to be fair, and I took my chance,” Rodriguez said in his post-match press conference. “I’m glad I won. He missed so many doubles, didn’t he? I’m just glad he did it against me, to be fair.”

Smith won the next two legs, but missed his chances to draw level and Rodriguez pinned double seven to move 4-2 ahead. The Austrian missed the bull for a 122 match finish in the seventh leg. On his own throw in the eighth, he scored 92 to leave 40, then watched Smith miss double 16 for a 110 checkout before coming back to hit tops. Smith outscored Rodriguez 86.51 to 83.43 on the averages, but converted only three of his 16 attempts at double. Rodriguez hit five of 12.

“It wasn’t brilliant either,” Rodriguez said of his own display. “I didn’t score the way I’m capable of. The first dart didn’t go in as much as I’d have liked. But a win is a win, isn’t it?”

Rodriguez had won only two matches across the 2026 Players Championship season before the Tour Card Holder Qualifier in Leicester on 6 November. He won three that day alone, beating Damon Heta and former European champion Ritchie Edhouse before seeing off Tom Bissell 5-2 to qualify for Wolverhampton.

“In the first game against Damon, I showed what I’m capable of. I played really, really well, to be fair,” he said. “Since then, something clicked in my head. I don’t know. I’m just glad I qualified and took that one today.”

When he beat Bissell, the first person he went looking for was his Austria World Cup partner. “I just hugged Mensur, to be fair,” Rodriguez said. “I ran straight to Mensur and hugged him.” He flew home on Friday and was back at the board by Saturday. “It gave me a boost, yes. It gave me a reason to practise for this tournament, and I did. I managed to win today, so I’m very glad.”

Rodriguez had shared a stage with Suljovic at the World Cup in June, but said it had been three or four years since he’d had a comparable opportunity in singles. His expectation for Wolverhampton was simply to enjoy being back on stage. “It’s been a while,” he said. “I’m just very excited to be on stage again, and I’m very glad I’ve won.”

For Rodriguez, the pressure of the last two seasons had come from the target he had set himself. “It’s just in my head, to be fair,” he said when asked why his results had fallen short. “I put a lot of pressure on my shoulders because I want to be in the top 64 at least.” He spoke about hearing people bring up what he had done four or five years ago and how frustrating it had been to fall short of that level again.

Asked whether coming from a well-known darts family added to that pressure, he was emphatic. “No, no pressure at all. My family are behind me whatever I do,” he said. “Even if I lose, they give me credit for playing and they motivate me all the time. All my family are behind me, my friends, everyone.”

Asked what it was like turning up for ProTour events when he was struggling to win a match, Rodriguez said: “You just keep trying and trying. Giving up isn’t an option, so I give it my best every time I’m there,” he said. “If it works out like last week, it’s fantastic. Like today, it’s fantastic. But if it doesn’t, losing is part of the game, obviously. You need to learn how to lose and how to win as well.”

Asked whether the Smith win could be a turning point, Rodriguez laughed. “I’ve said that too many times in interviews. I’m not going to say anything now. We’ll see. I’m just glad I won today.” When another reporter asked whether it felt like a fresh start, his answer was shorter still. “We’ll see at Q School. I need to go back to Q School, so we’ll see.”

For now, he has another match to prepare for in Wolverhampton. “Winning is always good, and winning is better than losing. It’ll give me a push,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll see how far it goes. Today is a brilliant day for me, and we’ll see on Tuesday if I can keep playing well.” He said he did not know how he would feel by then. After two difficult seasons, he was happy to take the win.

Smith plays Gabriel Clemens on Sunday before Rodriguez meets the German on Tuesday. Under the Grand Slam’s new format, only the winner of each three-player group goes through. Beat Clemens and Rodriguez wins Group O whatever happens on Sunday.