Top seed Gerwyn Price dug deep to come from behind and defeat Mervyn King 3-1 to secure his place in the quarter-finals of the BoyleSports World Grand Prix.
After Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson had all crashed out of the competition, the draw appeared wide open for world champion Price to successfully defend his title at the Morningside Arena.
Another upset, though, looked on the cards when King, the world number 21, wrapped up the opening set 3-1 with a 109 checkout.
𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦!❄️💪
Gerwyn Price continues his World Grand Prix title defence with victory over Mervyn King.
World class moments at the right times from 'The Iceman'. pic.twitter.com/wpCqUAY4jz— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 5, 2021
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The Iceman, though, kept his cool to square the contest before edging the third set in a deciding leg.
Having regained the momentum, Welshman Price never looked like relinquishing control as another break helped clinch the match, having thrown five 180s with an average of 93.19.
“When I lost the (first) set, I was beating myself up,” Price said on Sky Sports.
“I should learn not to do that, because I was playing pretty well for most of the game, and the main thing is I won. I had to dig deep.”
Earlier, Stephen Bunting produced an impressive display as he landed seven maximums to dispatch number four seed James Wade 3-1.
The Bullet took the opening set with a superb 132 – only for Wade, a two-time World Grand Prix winner, to level things up, almost landing a nine-dart finish.
Bunting, though, raised the bar again to win the third set 3-0, also going close to a perfect leg, before breaking Wade’s throw as he wrapped up victory which included three ton-plus checkouts.
“I felt really edgy and it showed on my doubles getting in tonight, so I am just happy to win that one,” said Bunting, who reached the semi-finals of the World Championship.
“I stayed an extra few days in Gibraltar with the family, and that really helped me, not really thinking about the darts, to help me refocus.”
𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗔 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗥
Ryan Searle is the first man through to the Quarter-Finals after securing a 3-1 success over Luke Humphries in a sensational battle between the pair!
Checkouts of 140, 152 and 170 along the way too for 'Heavy Metal' 👏 pic.twitter.com/tgC7m0hxU0— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 5, 2021
In the first match of Tuesday night’s fixtures in the top half of the draw, Ryan Searle beat Luke Humphries 3-1 to book his place in the last eight, where he will play Bunting.
Searle had seen off fifth seed Dimitri Van Den Bergh in the first round of the annual double-start tournament
‘Heavy Metal’ continued his momentum with five maximums and some impressive check-outs – including a 170 finish in the fourth set – to see off Humphries, runner-up in March’s UK Open.
Tuesday’s late match at the Morningside Arena saw Dave Chisnall, twice a Grand Prix runner-up, rally back from two sets down to defeat Ross Smith and set up a quarter-final against Price.
After looking in deep trouble from losing six out of the first seven legs, Chisnall rallied to take the third set 3-1, before closing out the fourth on double top to take the match to a decider.
A superb 130 checkout on the bullseye helped the eighth seed continue his fightback.
Chisnall eventually took the lead for the first time at 2-1 up to throw for the match – which he secured with a nerveless 135 finish.
