Josh Rock is hoping to use gained experience and recent life changes to aid his Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts campaign as he faces Connor Scutt for a place in the last eight.
Rock is hoping to equal his best run in Wolverhampton achieved in 2023 and progress to the quarter-finals when he plays Scutt on Thursday evening.
The World Cup winner had lost his opening game in the group stage to Wessel Nijman despite a stunning 109 average, but followed this with crucial 5-0 and 5-2 wins over Lisa Ashton and Gian van Veen respectively to top Group F.
The Northern Irishman had faced Van Veen in the group stage last year and lost 5-2 himself, but the roles and scores were reversed this year as the result ensured Rock progressed and Van Veen was eliminated.
“I was very nervous,” reflected Rock, who has now made the last 16 of five Premier events in 2025.
“I think Gian was nervous too and we both showed it up on stage, but luckily, I calmed down and got it over the line.
“The two of us knew that one of us wins and is through. It was as simple as that and that’s when the pressure hits, and I dealt with that pressure a little bit better than him.
Although Rock has enjoyed a strong 2025 that pushed him into the world's top ten for the first time in his career, he has had a stunted recent month.
The 24-year-old crashed out in Round Two of the World Grand Prix and Round One of the European Championship, but trusts his long-term game and growing experience.
“I had that month blip on the stage,” admitted the Northern Irishman. “We are all professionals at the end of the day and here to win titles.
“I may be inexperienced, but I am definitely getting the experience a lot more.
"There's no second chance but I can relax a lot more now with the longer format. Hopefully my experience will get me over the line."
A major change Rock has made in his life is his fitness, and he's currently undergoing a programme to lose weight.
“I clearly had to change something in my life,” said Rock. “I really needed to change my life because when I joined the PDC I was a skinny young boy.
“I've lost two stone, 2 ½ pounds inside nine weeks. It’s just eating a lot healthier and getting out walking and doing the basics and it’s helped.
“I knew I had to change something behind the scenes and I've benefitted from it.
Alongside Van Veen and Nijman, Rock is part of a wave of young stars in darts that are at the forefront of the sport.
Five of the eight players – including Rock’s last eight opponent Scutt – are under 30-years-old, which signifies a changing era for the Northern Irishman.
“It’s a young man’s game now,” suggested Rock. “I'm not disrespecting any of the big boys because they can do it when they want to, Michael van Gerwen proved it against Gary [Anderson].
“When there’s World Champions in there, it doesn’t matter anymore.
“The game has just got that big now, you just have to go up there and try and perform your best."
The 2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts
Thursday November 13 (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Lukas Wenig v Niko Springer
Josh Rock v Connor Scutt
Luke Littler v Wessel Nijman
Michael van Gerwen v Danny Noppert
Best of 19 legs