PDC World Darts Championship 2018: Monday Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
Mensur Suljovic and Daryl Gurney advanced from the first round at the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship on Monday, defeating Kevin Painter and Ronny Huybrechts, respectively, at London's Alexandra Palace.
Suljovic whitewashed Painter with an impressive 3-0 win, as Gurney continued a fantastic season with a 3-1 victory over Huybrechts.
However, it was 63-year-old qualifier Paul Lim who gave the performance of the night, beating Mark Webster 3-2.
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The Singapore Slinger will now play Gary Anderson in the second round.
Here are Monday's opening-round results and the forthcoming fixtures:
Monday's results
Kai Fan Leung 0-2 Paul Lim (Preliminary)
Mensur Suljovic 3-0 Kevin Painter
Daryl Gurney 3-1 Ronny Huybrechts
Mark Webster 2-3 Paul Lim
Tuesday Schedule
Aleksandr Oreshkin vs. Kevin Munch (Preliminary)
John Henderson vs. Marko Kantele
Raymond van Barneveld vs. Richard North
Adrian Lewis vs. Aleksandr Oreshkin/Kevin Munch
Recap
The crowd were on their feet as two of the competition's fan favourites advanced to the second round, with Suljovic and Gurney entertaining the crowd in the capital.
Both players have emerged as title contenders over the past 12 months, and they began their world championship campaigns in style.
Suljovic was never in trouble against Painter, posting a modest three-dart average of 93.03 as he skipped to a straight-sets victory.
The Gentle only managed one maximum as he cantered to the win, but his performance was good enough to eliminate The Artist.
Gurney has been exceptional as he climbs the world rankings and treated fans to a magnificent 170 checkout to underline his credentials.
SuperChin matched the challenge of Huybrechts, who deserved better after a consistent display at the oche.
Gurney landed 10 of the 22 doubles he needed to restrict his opponent, frustrating the 32-year-old Belgian rising star.
The winner ended the night with a three-dart average of 100.51, with Gurney a firm outside bet to win the title.
PDC Darts highlighted the Northern Irishman's finishing:
Lim defeated Kai Fan Leung 2-0 in a preliminary match to set up a contest with Webster, and he produced a magical finish to proceedings.
Webster danced to the opening set with ease, but Lim's staccato style found its rhythm against the grain.
However, The Spider appeared to keep his cool as the veteran plugged away with gusto, but it was Lim who found an extra gear.
Lim won the second set to lean on Webster's superiority, and The Singapore Slinger was in the ascendancy as he claimed a shock 2-1 lead.
Webster was forced to dig deep to fight back, and Lim had a single dart to win the contest—only to miss his chance.
The match was tied at 2-2 as Webster pegged back his opponent, but Lim continued to give the best performance of his long career to plough forward.
Lim completed victory with a stunning final-set performance, landing six maximums in the match as he grabbed a famous win.
All statistics via PDC.tv.
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