"I've got one of them shocking games. It's sort of a one in ten where it's a shocker" - Consistency the difference between Joe Cullen and the absolute top players he believes

Joe Cullen managed to qualify for the second round at the World Grand Prix on Tuesday night. The 34-year-old Englishman was too strong for Mike de Decker in the opening round, 2-0 in sets.

The world number eleven came out fine in Leicester, where the World Grand Prix is being played. Cullen posted an average of 92, which is very solid at this tournament. "I thought I grounded out a little bit the first set but I thought I played really well the second set," Cullen commented to the press after the match. "I settled into the game well and obviously a two-nil victory suggests that."

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In the first set, Cullen took a 2-0 lead. Decker managed to come back to 2-2, but needed four arrows in the fifth leg to open versus just two arrows for Cullen.

"It's cutthroat. It's a brutal leveller," the former Masters champion acknowledged, referring to the double-start format. "Obviously, with a short format, first game, you're just happy to get through whether it be looking a million dollars or absolutely rotten."

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Cullen can enter the top-10 of the world rankings for the first time in his career if he manages to reach the semifinals at the World Grand Prix. He himself still sees a substantial difference between himself and the absolute top players.

"I think the difference between me and the elite is I've got one of them shocking games. It's sort of a one in ten where it's a shocker. You know like, a low 80s average and you just don't get going. I've got one of them in me whereas I think the elite have got that aspects of their game where it's a high 80s."

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