Rob Cross delivered a commanding performance at Alexandra Palace, sweeping aside Damon Heta to book a highly anticipated fourth-round showdown with reigning champion Luke Littler at the PDC World Darts Championship.
Cross cruises into Littler showdown
The 2018 world champion, Rob Cross, was in ruthless form as he dispatched the Australian number one Damon Heta with a dominant 4-0 victory. Cross lost just two legs in the entire match, showcasing clinical finishing by landing 46% of his checkouts with a match average of 94.11.
Heta struggled on the doubles, converting only 31.6% of his attempts and spurning key opportunities in the second and third sets. Cross, who has now dropped only one set in the tournament, was pleased with his resilience. "Sometimes it will be pretty, sometimes not," Cross said. "The big factor was I held myself together at the right times. I’m really glad to get through."
Looking ahead to his clash with the teenage sensation Littler, Cross appeared relaxed about the challenge. "There’s no shackles, no worries. He’s fantastic," Cross stated. "But the pressure isn’t on me. What does it matter? If Rob Cross loses to Luke Littler, who cares? Hopefully I can take the shackles off and get a good tune out of myself."
Anderson holds nerve in Alexandra Palace epic
Two-time champion Gary Anderson maintained his impressive form in a nail-biting third-round encounter, eventually overcoming Jermaine Wattimena 4-3 in a deciding-set thriller.
The Dutchman Wattimena showed tremendous fight, saving four match darts in total and battling back from a 3-1 deficit. He forced a dramatic tie-break in the final set with a spectacular 124 checkout on the bullseye.
Anderson, who averaged 102.24 and hit 14 maximums, came agonisingly close to a nine-dart finish in the decider, missing double 12 before finally sealing the victory. This follows his previous round where he averaged an astonishing 105.41.
Searle powers through without dropping a set
Elsewhere, Ryan Searle continued his flawless run at this year's championship, thrashing German number one Martin Schindler 4-0. Searle was in devastating form, winning nine consecutive legs and averaging 102.29. He is yet to drop a single set in the tournament and now sets up a fourth-round match with James Hurrell.
The action at Ally Pally continues to deliver high drama and world-class darts, with the last-16 stage now set to feature some mouth-watering fixtures.
