Rob Cross almost lets victory slip from his hands: ''Maybe I was guilty of thinking I was going to win 6-0 or 6-1"

Rob Cross suddenly had to work hard Friday afternoon to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Australian Darts Masters. After an ample lead, he eventually won only narrowly 6-5 over Haupai Puha.

Cross started the match strongly by taking a 4-0 lead with a 14-darter and two 12-darters, among other things. The Englishman was heading for an easy win, but fumbled dimes in the sixth and seventh leg led to a comeback by Puha.

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After the fifth leg was won by Puha, Cross missed seven chances in the sixth leg to make it 5-1. Puha threw a 22-darter to cut the deficit to 4-2. In leg seven, "Voltage" missed another seven darts on the double, then Puha punished these misses with a 70 finish.

Puha then tied the score with an 18-darter in the eighth leg. Cross recaptured the lead with a 13-darter, and then his New Zealand opponent forced a deciding leg with a 13-darter. Puha got off to a great start in the final leg with scores of 180 and 123, but could not capitalize on his only match dart. Cross then pulled out the win with a fine 80 finish.

Afterwards, Cross breathed a sigh of relief. “Maybe I was guilty of thinking I was going to win 6-0 or 6-1,” conceded Cross.

The former world champion is on a strong run at the World Series, as he reached the final each of the three previous tournaments in June. Cross also keeps fond memories of the tournaments in Australia and New Zealand, as he managed to win both last year. “Haupai played some really good darts at the end, so I’m just happy to get the job done. I really enjoyed my time here last year, and winning back-to-back titles was something special, but I’ve got to keep pushing to try and do it again.”