Nathan Aspinall cruised to a 4-0 victory over Andrew Gilding to power himself into the last 16 of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
This is the first time in five years that Aspinall has gone through to the third round and he will now face Ricardo Pietreczko in the last 16.
It wasn't the best start from either player in the final tournament of the afternoon session on day 11 but it was Aspinall who jumped out, two breaks of throw taking a scrappy first set .
The second set continued in the same way as the first, Aspinall up to 86 percent on the doubles while taking his chances in the moments that mattered. A crucial break of throw in the deciding stage of the third set then cemented 'The Asp's' 3-0 lead.
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Nathan Aspinall scored his first 100+ checkout of the match against Andrew Gilding as the Asp's 101 checkout put him 3-0 up against Goldfinger
With the finish line in sight and knowing he just had to hold his throw, Aspinall held his throw twice and then broke 'Goldfinger', taking a comprehensive win on top.
“I'm glad I can finish. I'm usually really bad at finishing, that's usually why I lose. My scoring is usually not there. The last two games I've played, I finished very well, I didn't score well,” Aspinall said Sky Sports after his victory.
“Gildy didn't play very well there. I don't care about averages, I don't care about numbers. I'm in the last 16 – England vs Germany.
“I think the last six months have been pretty smooth when I've been playing, and I made a conscious effort tonight to try and light that fire in my stomach again, and I think you saw it from the beginning.
“I was giving it a bit more feel tonight and that was for me, to try and get the adrenaline off because I've been pretty flat.
“It wasn't my best performance. I finished really well again, but we have to get the scoring going with that finish, I'll be hard to beat.”
In the opening match of the afternoon session, Ryan Joyce put in a thrilling performance in the doubles to progress to the fourth round after a thrilling 4-3 win over Ryan Searle.
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Ryan Joyce fought off a comeback from Ryan Searle as he won 4-3 to go through to round four. Joyce also hit an impressive 113 checkout and there was a bump from Searle as he missed one 20 to leave tops, all in the final set.
The match went toss for the first nine legs, allowing Joyce to take the first set on a toss and 'Relentless' then kicked in the deciding second to break the toss and lead 2-0 to take.
However, Searle fought back and found two breaks of throw of his own to level the contest at 2-2, his doubles clinic at 50 per cent and average of 114.24 in the third set bringing him back into contention.
Joyce came back though, winning five legs in a row, and with the match level at 3-3, a thrilling 113 check in the seventh set tie-break gave Geordie the win, the pushed his favorite D18 for the game. .
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Ryan Searle fights back to stay alive in the sixth set as he lands a huge 124 payout on the bull against Ryan Joyce
Pietrecko he showed his class as he beat Scott Williams 4-1 to make the last 16 for the first time in his career.
The atmosphere inside Ally Pally was electric for this clash, the German section of the crowd cheering their last challenger and the English fans behind Williams.
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Ricardo Pietreczko fires in a massive 129 on the bull and then hits a brilliant 121 to win his match against Scott Williams in their third round match at the World Darts Championship
It was Pietreczko who took the early lead and held on for a 1-0 lead before breaking Williams on top to go 2-0 up, 'Shaggy' hitting back in the third set to race into the lead and winning 3-1 to take it. the contest to 2-1.
The 2024 semi-finalist had brought himself into the match, but Pietreczko took over in set four, breaking the throw and then pinning 129 on the set to clean up the set and go on get away from the effect.
He then followed suit and completed the win in great style, taking out the bull, T13, and D16 for 121 and the win.
What next?
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Watch all the nine-darter hits at the PDC World Championship
The evening session on Saturday 28th December will be live from 7pm Sky Sports with Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Chris Dobey, and Josh Rock all involved.
Then, Sunday 29 December at Alexander Palace there is another full double session, live on Sky Sports.
Luke Humphries will face Peter Wright at the end of the night, with Jonny Clayton up against Gerwyn Price and Ricky Evans against Robert Owen. You can watch these matches live from 7 pm.
Afternoon from 12.30pm, there will also be Jeffrey de Graaf vs Paolo Nebrida, Kevin Doets vs Krzysztof Ratajski, and Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Callan Rydz.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch all the matches live until January 3 on Sky Sports' exclusive darts channel. Stream darts and more sports favorites with NOW.
