A nervy Nathan Aspinall stumbled through his World Darts Championship opener, edging past Leonard Gates on the same night that Christian Kist hit a nine-darter in defeat.
Aspinall, who suffered a shock loss at the same stage last year, just about avoided an upset this time round, booking his progress post-Christmas with a 3-1 win.
Gates, who defeated a teary Cameron Menzies in his first-round match-up on Monday, showed glimpses across the shared opening two sets before Aspinall eventually edged clear.
“I’m relieved to come through that. It was a very tough game of darts,” said Aspinall, who will face either Andrew Gilding, Martin Lukeman or Nitin Kumar in the last 32.
“I felt really good coming into the tournament but I put myself under too much pressure to perform tonight. I’ve been under a lot of scrutiny over the last few months because I’ve not been playing well.
“I’m here to prove how good I am and go deep in the tournament. It wasn’t pretty, but I won the game and now I can enjoy Christmas and come back stronger after the break.”
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Check out the best of the action from night four at the World Darts Championship
The American checked out 106 for a break of throw in the first set, only for Aspinall to immediately better that with a 114 in the subsequent leg to take the opener.
But the 12th seed was desperately poor in losing the second set, averaging less than 80. Despite such struggles, he would have two darts at tops for a two-set lead but would fluff his lines as Gates instead levelled things up.
Aspinall marginally improved over the final two sets but survived some nervy moments along the way, including spurning a couple of match darts as Gates threatened to force a deciding set.
The two-time semi-finalist will know he will have to play much better if he is to have another deep run at Alexandra Palace.
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Who had the better walk-on between Aspinall and Gates before their second-round match at the World Darts Championship?
Kist makes stunning nine-darter but loses
Kist’s nine-darter was the 15th ever at the Worlds and the first since the famous “I can’t speak” perfect leg from Michael Smith in the 2023 final.
The Dutchman, however, was unable to bounce off his incredible moment to win the first set as his opponent Madars Razma kept his cool and won the next three sets in style to set up a match against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Kist does win ยฃ60,000 for his nine-darter though, as did a lucky fan in the Ally Pally crowd, with tournament sponsors Paddy Power also donating ยฃ60,000 to Prostate Cancer to mark the moment.
“The nine-darter was an amazing moment, hitting the double 12 felt amazing. It was a lovely moment for everyone and I hope Kris enjoys the money,” said Kist.
“Maybe I will go on vacation next month with the prize money. I lost the game though so I’m a little bit disappointed to go out in the first round.”
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‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans wins 3-2 against Gordon Mathers in their first-round tie at the World Darts Championship
Ricky Evans was far from his ‘rapid’ best when making hard work of his opening match against Gordon Mathers, forced into a final-set decider.
Evans finally clinched victory to set up a second-round clash with sixth-seed Dave Chisnall when taking out 109, the first ton-plus finish of an otherwise sloppy encounter.
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Evans gets the crowd going with a rendition of ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ for a very festive walk-on
In the opening match of the night, a crestfallen Jim Williams missed five match darts on his way to losing 3-2 in his first-round match against Paolo Nebrida.
Making matters worse for the Welshman, he also missed three darts to take the opening set along the way. Ross Smith awaits for Nebrida in the next round.
What’s next?
It’s another bumper day’s action on Thursday, December 19 with the afternoon session returning, live on Sky Sports Darts from 12.30pm – the line-up reading as follows: Chris Landman vs Lok Yin Lee, Callan Rydz vs Romeo Grbavac, Martin Lukeman vs Nitin Kumar and 27th seed Gabriel Clemens in second-round action against Robert Owen.
From 7pm, live on Sky Sports Darts, former world champion Michael Smith headlines the evening session, the 2023 champion and second seed taking on Kevin Doets to close out the night, while the three first-round matches on prior includes Nick Kenny vs Stowe Buntz, Mensur Suljovic vs Matt Campbell and last year’s semi-finalist Scott Williams vs Niko Springer.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
