In a display that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood pulled off an unheard-of feat of 11 consecutive doubles, blasting his way to a commanding 4-0 victory over Josh Rock in the last 16 of the elite World Darts Championship.
The 32-year-old, taking part in his first ever season on the top-tier professional circuit, continued his sensational tournament run. His perfect doubling streak finally concluded when he had a chance to seal the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. Unfazed, he composed himself to clinCH the victory with a spectacular 119 checkout in the following leg.
“It’s not a fairytale – I know what I can do and it’s nice to prove it up there,” Hood stated in his on-stage interview. “The only time I felt any pressure was throwing the leg before the last. I’m not used to this. Usually, I get hate messages. This is mad.”
Hood sent an early message about his intentions by winning the opening set with an lightning-fast break of throw. This left the higher-seeded Rock, the tournament's 11th seed, little to do but watch in amazement as Hood stormed to victory, registering a impressive 101 average and hammering 10 maximum 180s.
This historic win ensures the newcomer a career-best payday of at least ÂŁ100,000 and brings him closer to his avowed ambition of launching a Chinese restaurant.
In other last-16 action, Jonny Clayton confirmed his rise to fourth in the global rankings after engineering a fightback from a set down to defeat Andreas Harrysson 4-2.
The Swedish contender ultimately paid the price for squandering key opportunities, having led a 2-1 advantage and then missing four darts to regain a one-set lead at 3-2.
“There’s a lot on my mind and moving to world No. 4 was among them,” admitted Clayton. “Whenever I looked up, Andreas was finding his doubles. It was a real battle; I didn’t play my best darts and had a lot of loose attempts, but that’s what the occasion does to you.”
Joining them in the next round is Krzysztof Ratajski, who found an extra gear in the later stages to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, earning his spot in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
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