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Rob Cross thrashed Damon Heta 4-0 at the PDC World Championship to set up a last-16 clash with the reigning champion, Luke Littler.
Cross, who beat Phil Taylor in the 2018 final, lost only two legs against Australian No 1 Heta as he cruised into the fourth round.
Heta squandered several chances to take control, especially in the second and third sets, landing just 31.6% of his doubles, while Cross landed 46% of his checkouts and averaged 94.11.
Cross, who has only dropped one set in the tournament, said: “Sometimes it will be pretty, sometimes not. The big factor was I held myself together at the right times. I’m really glad to get through. I’m one step closer. I’ve not played my best. I’ve been clinical in the important moments, but I’ve not hit the heights I wanted to hit.”
On his upcoming battle with Littler, Cross added: “There’s no shackles, no worries. He’s fantastic. From a lovely family and a lovely boy. 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.”
The two-time champion Gary Anderson maintained his impressive form at Alexandra Palace to reach the last 16, holding his nerve in the deciding set to beat Jermaine Wattimena 4-3.
Wattimena, from the Netherlands, saved four match darts in total, while Anderson missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the decider before sealing a thrilling win.
Wattimena fought back from 3-1 down and hit a 124-checkout on the bull to force a tie-break before Anderson went close to the first nine-dart finish at this year’s tournament.
Anderson hit 14 maximums in the match and averaged 102.24, having averaged 105.41 in his victory over Connor Scutt in the previous round.
Devon’s Ryan Searle set up a fourth-round clash with James Hurrell after thrashing the German No 1, Martin Schindler, 4-0. Searle won nine legs in a row on his way to a comprehensive victory, averaging 102.29, and has yet to drop a set at this year’s showpiece event.
