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England’s Callan Rydz put in a magnificent performance to stun 11th seed Dimitri van den Bergh in the third round of the PDC World Championship.
Rydz, a quarter-finalist in 2022, stormed to a 4-0 win over the the 2020 World Matchplay champion as he recorded an impressive 105.31 average.
That number was at 115.94 after a blistering first two sets in which Rydz hit six 180s and made six of his nine darts at double against a bewildered Van den Bergh.
The Belgian attempted to force his way back into the contest but Rydz’s level was such that any opportunities were soon snatched from Van den Bergh’s grasp.
“I’m over the moon. I didn’t give Dimi a sniff and I’ve got to do the same in the last 16,” Rydz told Sky Sports. “Buzzing with the result and can’t wait to be back here.”
He will play the winner of Ricky Evans and Robert Owen, who conclude the third round on Sunday evening.
Dutchman Kevin Doets survived four match darts as he produced a stirring comeback to beat 31st seed Krzysztof Ratajski.
Doets, who knocked out second seed Michael Smith in the last round, did not have a dart at double in the first set and found himself 2-0 down without winning a leg.
However, he suddenly burst into life to win six of the next seven legs and level the match at 2-2 with a 106 checkout.
Ratajski rallied in the fifth and had four darts to win the match in the sixth but failed to take them.
That allowed Doets to level again, before he took the lead for the first time at 2-1 in the seventh before winning the next to seal it.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf set up a last-16 tie with three-time champion Michael van Gerwen after a convincing 4-1 win over Paolo Nebrida.
Filipino Nebrida took the first set but De Graaf won the next four on the bounce, finishing with a 10-darter, to progress from the third round of the World Championship for the first time.
