England’s Callan Rydz put in a brilliant performance to defeat 11th seed Dimitri van den Bergh in the third round of the PDC World Championship.
Rydz, a quarter-finalist in the 2022 tournament, stormed to a 4-0 victory over the 2020 Matchplay World Champion, recording an impressive average of 105.31.
That score stood at 115.94 after a thrilling first two sets in which Rydz hit six 180s and made six of nine shots with a double against a stunned Van den Bergh.
The Belgian tried to break into the competition again, but Rydz’s level was so high that any chances were soon taken away from Van den Bergh’s hands.
“I’m over the moon. I didn’t smell Dimi and I have to do the same for the last 16 years,” Rydz told Sky Sports. “I’m thrilled with the results and can’t wait to get back here.”
He will face the winner of Ricky Evans and Robert Owen, who will complete the third round on Sunday evening.
Dutchman Kevin Doets survived four match darts and made a thrilling comeback to defeat 31st seed Krzysztof Ratajski.
Doets, who knocked out second seed Michael Smith in the last round, had no chance for a double in the first set and lost 2-0 without winning a single match.
However, he suddenly came alive, winning six of his next seven matches to level the match at 2-2 with 106 checks.
Ratajski rallied in the fifth and had four darts to win the game in the sixth, but missed them.
That allowed Doets to level again before he took the lead for the first time in the seventh set at 2-1, then won the next set to seal it.
Meanwhile, Swede Jeffrey de Graaf drew three-time champion Michael van Gerwen in the round of 16 after a convincing 4-1 victory over Paolo Nebrida.
Filipino Nebrida won the first set, but De Graaf won the next four on the rebound, finishing with a 10-darter to advance from the third round of the World Championship for the first time.
