Josh Rock claims to have "woke up" after his thrilling victory over Nathan Aspinall to reach the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship.
One of the favourites for the tournament in his first involvement, Rock had to dig deep to get past Aspinall, who had some moments of magic himself.
After a game that won't be forgotten, he hit 13 180s in a classic encounter. Speaking after his victory, Rock vowed the become world champion as he passed his toughest test yet.
🗣 "Josh Rock is going to try and win this World Championship."
Hear the thoughts of Josh Rock, who is through to the last 16 on his Cazoo World Championship debut, following a thrilling 4-3 win over tenth seed Nathan Aspinall! 👇 pic.twitter.com/C2OvcNRLup— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2022
Wow! I was under a lot of pressure and I dealt with it well. I was just trying my best, it was a very tight game. I got there, I was under a lot of pressure. I am going to bust my bum to become world champion. I have kind of woke up, but now I am just happy. There is a lot more to come."
Rock Edges Thriller
Rock got through his toughest test yet as he defeated Nathan Aspinall 4-3 in a thrilling encounter at the World Darts Championship.
When the Antrim native got through to face Aspinall, fireworks were guaranteed, and they didn't disappoint in the best game of the tournament.
The hype has been huge around Josh Rock in his debut tournament, and he showed why with some brilliant darts. It was Josh Rock who took the first set 3-2 with a brilliant 141 finish.
A BRILLIANT LEG 👏
Josh Rock 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙄𝙆𝙀𝙎 first ⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/V3BIdOdgYx— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 27, 2022
This ignited a spark in Aspinall, who took advantage of some missed opportunities by Rock to claim the second set 3-1, with both players having several chances to claim it.
However, Aspinall was far more clinical in their third set to take a 2-1 lead in the game as he threatened to stop the hype surrounding Rock. The 21-year-old showed his class in their fourth set as he wrapped it up in 11 darts in the almost perfect leg to bring the game level.
ASP TAKES THE LEAD!
A big shift after that opening set as Aspinall comfortably takes the third set as he enters a 2-1 lead in a race to four!#WCDarts | R3
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuK5Me pic.twitter.com/GfxVE2wvEe— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2022
Despite missing chances to claim the fifth, Aspinall couldn't advantage and Rock didn't need another opportunity to go 3-2 ahead. The drama didn't stop there, as Aspinall recovered with a 3-0 win to bring it 3-3 and set up a grand stand finish.
In the end, it was Josh Rock who hit some incredible darts to set up a memorable victory in the game of the tournament.
ROCKY WINS A THRILLER! 🔥
Believe the hype! 🤩
Josh Rock hits THIRTEEN 180s on his way to a deciding set victory over Nathan Aspinall!
Special, special talent. #WCDarts | R3
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuK5Me pic.twitter.com/oNvyCqNVgA— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2022
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