Michael van Gerwen has booked his place in the PDC World Championship quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory over Dirk van Duivjenbode.
In the all-Dutch battle, Van Gerwen was pushed during the opening four sets, holding a 2-1 lead and being level at 2-2 in the fourth.
However, Van Duivjenbode's level dropped at the crucial moment, allowing Van Gerwen to capitalise and seal his spot in the last eight with a 100.42 average.
Van Gerwen will now play Chris Dobey after the Englishman produced one of the performances of his career to see off former world champion Rob Cross by a 4-2 scoreline.
Facing a 2-1 deficit, Dobey produced a remarkable fourth set, averaging 121.72 and hitting a 170 checkout, and he outscored Cross in the fifth and sixth to earn a place in the quarter-finals at the Alexandra Palace for the first time in his career.
MILESTONE FOR DOBEY!! ⚫️ ⚪️
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 30, 2022
Chris Dobey beats Rob Cross to reach the quarter-finals for the first time at the World Championship!
Cross has not made to the quarter-finals since winning it back in 2018!#WCDarts | R4
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuKDBM pic.twitter.com/nqF5lrkD1u
There was another shock in the final game of Friday night as Stephen Bunting made light work of fifth seed Luke Humphries, sealing a 4-1 win with a 99.43 average.
The tone for the match was set as Humphries missed nine darts at double in the opening set and although he was able to halve the deficit in the third, Bunting ran away with it in the closing stages to deservedly set up a clash with Michael Smith.
Earlier in the day, Grand Slam of Darts champion Smith finally found some form as he impressively dispatched of Joe Cullen by a 4-1 scoreline.
Unlike in the previous round versus Martin Schindler, Smith showcased his scoring power, hitting 10 180s and averaging 103.25 to storm clear after the opening two sets had been shared.
Dimitri van den Bergh made light work of Belgian compatriot Kim Huybrechts, dropping just three legs on the way to a 4-0 victory.
Huybrechts never recovered from a slow start and was unable to stop Van den Bergh from cruising through with a 95.59 average.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Clemens became the first ever German player to reach the last eight of the PDC World Championship as he came through with a 4-1 triumph over Alan Soutar.
After the opening three sets were nip and tuck, Soutar hit six 180s in sets four and five, yet he lost each set in a decider to see Clemens set up a showdown with top seed Gerwyn Price.
Darren Plant
