Luke Littler put in a statement performance to bulldoze his way into the last 16 of the World Championship with a 4-0 victory over Mensur Suljovic.
Much was made of how the Austrian’s slow play would affect the world champion, but Littler was in fast forward mode as he won 12 out of 15 legs played.
Littler has made it his mission to defend his historic title and on this evidence it is going to take something special to stop him.
He recorded an average of 107.09 – his highest ever at Alexandra Palace – hit nine 180s and operated at a punishing 71 per cent success on the doubles.
The 18-year-old, who will face either Rob Cross or Damon Heta in the next round, said on his on-stage interview: “That’s the best I (have) felt. I think even last year’s tournament and the one before that, that’s the most I’ve been settled and it goes to show (with) the average, the finishing and all the ton-plus checkouts.
“Like we do every year, we always pack enough clothes to the final, so we’re packed for six, seven days. But yeah, that’s another round out the way, and I’ll be back in a few days.”
Earlier, Stephen Bunting was the highest seed to crash out of this year’s tournament as he lost to James Hurrell.
Hurrell had upset 29th seed Dirk Van Duijvenbode before Christmas and produced another determined display to see off popular Merseysider Bunting in a deciding set.
Fourth seed Bunting looked out of sorts as Hurrell secured the first set 3-1 against the darts – and was in deep trouble at 2-0 down in the second, before fighting back to level then landing a superb 161 checkout to pinch the deciding leg.
The crowd were on their feet again as Bunting took out 121 to clinch set three in another decider, but Hurrell continued to score consistently as he levelled things up again at 2-2 after sweeping the next 3-0.
Bunting’s average, meanwhile, dropped as Hurrell picked up the fifth set 3-1, once more against the darts, only for the Bullet to reload again and finish off 100 to break back in the sixth set and force a decider.
Hurrell, though, got a crucial beak in the third leg to throw for the match, checking out 100 on tops for the biggest win of his career.
In the opening match of the evening session, veteran Swede Andreas Harrysson continued his remarkable debut run with a 4-2 win over world number 33 Ricardo Pietreczko.
Harrysson, 50, topped the PDC’s Nordic & Baltic Order of Merit to secure his place on the biggest stage, where he has not looked out of place after defeating 12th seed Ross Smith before then ending the hopes of crowd favourite Motomu Sakai.
Pietreczko also went the same way, as Harrysson built on a solid start before sweeping both the third and fifth sets 3-0 with a match average of 96.11, which put him through to meet fifth seed Jonny Clayton.
Earlier, Clayton – who was given a bye in the last round following Dom Taylor’s failed drugs test – beat Niels Zonneveld 4-3 to reach the last 16 for a fifth successive year.
Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski survived three match darts to beat Wesley Plaisier by the same margin and set up a contest against Luke Woodhouse, 4-1 conqueror of Andrew Gilding.
