Cameron Menzies believes his best is yet to come ahead of his quarter-final clash against Mickey Mansell at the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts tonight.
Menzies moved through to his maiden televised ranking quarter-final with a 10-9 victory over James Wade on Wednesday, overturning a 6-4 deficit to edge out the three-time Grand Slam finalist.
The 35-year-old had kicked off his campaign with a convincing win over Martin Schindler on Saturday, before suffering back-to-back defeats to Danny Noppert and Beau Greaves in the group stage.
Menzies had begun travelling home following his 5-1 defeat to Greaves on Monday evening, but a 5-2 victory for Noppert over Schindler saw the Scot progress at Schindler’s expense.
“This has been a rollercoaster,” revealed Menzies, who still works as a plumber on a part-time basis.
“I left here after Beau [Greaves] battered me and I was fearing the worst.
“I was going home thinking about getting my tools for work. I was raging at myself for how badly I played, and now I’ve achieved something I’ve never done before.
“I didn’t think I deserved to be here, but I’m very grateful to be where I am, and it just shows you that darts is such an unpredictable sport.”
Wade produced a brilliant mid-match spell to seize control of his last 16 clash against Menzies, following up a 12-dart break with a hat-trick of 14-darters to lead 6-4.
However, Menzies fought back bravely to break new ground in Wolverhampton, winning five of the last seven legs to end Wade’s bid for a maiden Eric Bristow Trophy.
“James wasn’t at his best. It was a slugfest in my opinion, but I was buzzing to get over the line,” continued Menzies, who claimed his maiden Players Championship title last month.
“That is normally a game I would have faltered in, but that confidence of finally doing stuff on the ProTour is maybe starting to pay off.
“I feel like I’ve got more in me. I just need to start doing it on the big stage.”
However, Menzies faces a tough test against former World Cup semi-finalist Mansell, who will also be featuring in his first televised ranking quarter-final.
The Northern Irishman produced a stellar display in his 10-7 win over Danny Noppert, averaging 99, landing four 180s and converting 66% of his attempts at double to triumph.
“I’m ecstatic to be in the quarter-finals,” reflected Mansell, who has won seven of his last eight matches, with his solitary defeat coming against world number one Luke Humphries.
“I have played very well to be in the position that I’m in, but it’s about winning one game at a time.
“It’s about focusing on my technique and my beliefs, and seeing where that takes me.”
Friday’s other last eight clash will see 2023 runner-up Rob Cross take on Martin Lukeman in a repeat of their Group C showdown last weekend.
Lukeman has defeated Peter Wright, Cross, Leonard Gates and Ross Smith to progress to his second televised quarter-final of 2024, having also reached the same stage at March’s UK Open.
Cross, meanwhile, produced a finishing masterclass to book his place in the last eight, converting a trio of ton-plus checkouts to dump out newly-crowned European Champion Ritchie Edhouse.
2024 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts
Friday November 15 (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Cameron Menzies v Mickey Mansell
Martin Lukeman v Rob Cross
Saturday November 16 (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Jermaine Wattimena v Luke Littler
Gary Anderson v Gian van Veen
All matches best of 31 legs