De Graaf v Malicdem: Report, Stats & Images

Noel Malicdem (Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

NOEL MALICDEM moved into the second round of the William Hill World Championship with a hard fought victory over Jeffrey De Graaf.

Philippines ace Malicdem, who won two PDC Asian Tour events in 2018, came from 2-1 down to progress.

Malicdem, who also hit a nine-darter in an Asian Tour final, won the first set 3-1 but struggled with his finishing in sets two and three, allowing his Dutch opponent to move ahead.

A 96 checkout saw Malicdem take the fourth set to level the match - and he produced a fantastic run of legs to win 3-0, largely thanks to a pivotal 91 finish on the bull in the second leg.

Malicdem will take on Australia's Kyle Anderson in the second round on Friday.

Match Stats
Averages:
De Graaf - 78.52
Malicdem - 85.86

180s:
De Graaf - 1
Malicdem - 3

Highest Finish:
De Graaf - 78
Malicdem - 96 

100+ Checkouts:
De Graaf - 0
Malicdem - 0

Finishing:
De Graaf - 8/18
Malicdem - 12/40

Noel Malicdem (Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

Jeffrey De Graaf (Lawrence Lustig/PDC)