PDC World Darts Championship 2018: Wednesday Scores, Results, Updated Schedule

Michael Smith edged past Steve Lennon in the first round of the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, winning 3-2 on Wednesday night at London's Alexandra Palace. 

Simon Whitlock took his place in the next round as he beat Martin Schindler 3-1 in the capital.

Justin Pipe narrowly beat qualifier Bernie Smith 3-2, setting up a clash with Phil Taylor.

Here are Wednesday's results from the competition:

Xiao Chen Zong 0-2 Bernie Smith (preliminary)

Michael Smith 3-2 Steve Lennon

Simon Whitlock 3-1 Martin Schindler

Justin Pipe 3-2 Bernie Smith

Here is Thursday's schedule:

Cristo Reyes v Toni Alcinas

Kim Huybrechts vs. James Richardson

Darren Webster vs. Devon Petersen

Peter Wright vs. Diogo Portela

The full schedule is available, per Sky Sports.

Recap

Smith was taken to the limit by Lennon in their opening round clash, but the St Helens-born talent completed the win.

Bully Boy struggled in the first leg as he conceded the opener, but he strung together three on the bounce to take the set.

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Lennon continued to plug away, but Smith doubled his advantage as he pushed for a quick-fire victory.

However, at 2-0 down, the Irishman staged a comeback to scare Smith into action.

Lennon put his foot on the accelerator and fought back to win straight sets, forcing Smith on to regroup.

Smith made sure he wasn't a shock elimination, taking the final set as Lennon suddenly struggled to find the trebles.

Smith's three-dart average was slightly lower than his opponent at 92.63, but he was clinical in the final moments of action.

Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Whitlock was in strong form as he joined Smith in the second round, beating Schindler with a confident display.

The Wizard shared the opening two sets with his opponent but stepped through the gears to grab control.

The Australian landed five maximums on his way to victory, but his modest three-dart average of 87.42 will not help his chances later in the tournament.

PDC Darts highlighted Whitlock's finishing at the end of the encounter:

In the final match of the night, Bernie Smith was in outstanding form after beating Xiao Chen Zong in a preliminary and fought Pipe tooth and nail to set up a deciding set.

Smith led at 2-1 and had two chances to win the match, only to miss his doubles at the vital moment.

The Force grabbed the opportunity to take the contest to a fifth set, breathing heavily as he survived by the skin of his teeth.

The No. 27 seed hit double-eight to crawl over the finish line, as the crowd cheered for Smith's courage and performance.

All statistics via PDC.tv.