"This week it seems to be clicking" - Mike De Decker stuns Gary Anderson to reach first TV major quarterfinal

Mike De Decker continues to impress at the 2024 World Grand Prix. After his victory in the opening round against Damon Heta, he has now also convincingly qualified for the quarter-finals. 'The Real Deal' was 3-0 too strong for Gary Anderson in the second round and now faces James Wade.

For De Decker, he says the win came as a surprise. "I thought Gary was going to crush me," he admits, still a little in shock. "So this win means a lot to me, I think it's my best win ever at a TV tournament!"

Although De Decker has posed a regular threat to the big boys on both the Pro Tour and the European Tour for some time now, this is a new step as he reaches the quarterfinals of a TV major for the first time in his career. “I’m really really happy. I’ve always had a problem playing on stage, but this week it seems to be clicking,” said the Belgian happily. “I did the right things at the right moments. The 120 finish in the second set was massive. I think that decided the game. I just want to play well tomorrow now. I’m not going too look to far ahead, and hopefully I can perform like I did tonight.”

Thanks to his quarterfinal run, De Decker also enters the top 32 in the world rankings. "That was definitely a big goal at the start of the year, so I am happy that I have already got it," he assesses. "It also makes a big difference towards the World Championship. I will now be able to start as a seed if I can hold this position."

In the upcoming quarterfinal of the 2024 World Grand Prix, De Decker faces off against the vastly experienced James Wade, who has already dispatched both Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price this week in Leicester.