"You enjoy moments like that. It's what you live for as a dart player" - Comeback king Rob Cross pulls it out of the fire with stunning 161 to reach last 8 in Amsterdam

Rob Cross proved once again he can never be written off on Saturday night. Fighting back from 5-3 down, Cross overcame Kevin Doets and the Amsterdam crowd to take a 6-3 win and book his spot in the last eight of the 2024 World Series of Darts Finals.

"I'm so glad to that under that scrutiny and that pressure," Cross reflects afterwards in conversation with the PDC. "Don't get me wrong, the crowd has been great, but if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile so I'm really glad to able to pull through that moment."

After Doets had posted a 110 average in the opening round, pushing Cross all the way is another sure sign of the Dutch talents bright future. "I've known him for a few years now and he's a very respectful young man. I think he's brilliant," Cross praises warmly. "We've only just started to see the tip of what he can do. The more he gets used to the big stage, the better he'll get. He's gonna be another Gian Van Veen or Josh Rock. The talent is limitless."

For Cross though, the turning point of the contest was a sensational 161 checkout from the former world champion, with Doets sat waiting on 40 for the match. "It was do or die. It either goes in and then I win the game, or if I miss one treble in that combo I'm going home," he says of the shot. "For me, it's a lot of confidence because I've had a bit of time out and that confidence boost will really help me. I think I'll play better tomorrow, but you enjoy moments like that. It's what you live for as a dart player."

Next up for Cross, is Michael Smith, who similarly survived missed match darts from a young Dutch talent on Saturday night. Smith prevailed 6-5 over Wessel Nijman in his own comeback win.