Peter Wright and Jonny Clayton progressed on Day Five of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, as Dirk van Duijvenbode, Connor Scutt and Charlie Manby prevailed in deciding-set thrillers at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Monday’s double session featured a further eight opening round ties in the capital, as Wright began his bid for a third World Championship crown with a straight-sets success against Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
The two-time World Champion conjured up a sublime 152 checkout to stamp his authority on proceedings, before halting a mid-game revival from Van Leuven to seal his progress.
“I was not happy with my performance,” declared a candid Wright, who will take on Germany’s Arno Merk in round two.
“My practice has been going well but I’m not transferring it on the big stage.
“I feel for Noa-Lynn; she played some amazing darts but just at the wrong time. If she did it at the right time I would have been in a lot of trouble.”
Clayton, meanwhile, overcame Adam Lipscombe 3-1 in a gruelling affair, registering a hat-trick of ton-plus finishes in setting up a showdown against Dom Taylor.
The Welsh number one was nowhere near his explosive best, although he found his range late on to deny a spirited Lipscombe, who delivered a solid showing on debut.
“Hopefully it’s going to be my year,” claimed Clayton, the number five seed. “I was dreading that game. Adam is obviously a great player, but luckily enough I came through it.
“Dom is going to be a tough cookie to crack. I know what he can do, but I need to concentrate on myself, nobody else.”
Elsewhere, Van Duijvenbode produced a sensational late flurry to topple a spirited Andy Baetens, converting a quartet of ton-plus checkouts in the closing stages to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
The Dutchman followed up 109 and 106 finishes with a sensational fifth set display, featuring a 170 checkout and a match-winning 102 outshot to prevail with a 98 average and eight 180s.
Scutt will go head-to-head with Gary Anderson in an intriguing round two encounter, after fending off a valiant fightback from ANZ Premier League champion Simon Whitlock.
Scutt raced into a two-set lead against the former World Championship runner-up, before kicking off the final leg with back-to-back 180s to halt the Australian's resistance.
Debutant Manby also came out on top in a five-set epic against Cameron Menzies, winning back-to-back sets to justify his reputation as one of the sport’s most exciting young talents.
The 20-year-old from Huddersfield reaffirmed his potential with a terrific display, converting a crucial 120 checkout in the closing stages of his comeback win.
“It’s a bit overwhelming, but it felt amazing up there,” said Manby, who averaged 130 in a match on the Winmau Development Tour earlier this year.
“I think the game was played at a great pace and it was a good standard, so it was an enjoyable game to be a part of.”
An emotional Menzies also spoke post-match, apologising for his reaction at the conclusion of the contest, adding: "I am sorry that I reacted in the manner that I did.
"It’s not an excuse, but I have had a lot of things on my mind recently and I suppose it all just became too much at the end.
“Let me say again, that’s no excuse for what I did on the stage. It was the wrong thing to do and I don’t want it to take anything away from Charlie. He played well and deserved his win."
Max Hopp marked his World Championship return with a 3-1 win against 2024 Grand Slam runner-up Martin Lukeman, crashing in seven 180s to triumph in his first Ally Pally appearance for five years.
Veteran duo Brendan Dolan and Mensur Suljovic also recorded 3-1 victories over Tavis Dudeney and David Cameron on a marathon day of action in North London.
Two-time quarter-finalist Dolan landed a sensational 170 checkout and defied nine 180s from young talent Dudeney to progress, while Suljovic averaged almost 95 to set up an intriguing showdown against Joe Cullen.
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship continues with another double session on Tuesday December 16, as former champion Gerwyn Price headlines Day Six.
The 2020/21 World Champion begins his title challenge against Adam Gawlas, with world number six Danny Noppert and last year’s semi-finalist Chris Dobey also set to star.
The 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
Click here for match stats & results.
2025 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Monday December 15
Afternoon Session
Round One x4
Brendan Dolan 3-1 Tavis Dudeney (3-1, 3-2, 2-3, 3-1)
Charlie Manby 3-2 Cameron Menzies (2-3, 3-2, 1-3, 3-2, 3-1)
Mensur Suljovic 3-1 David Cameron (3-1, 2-3, 3-1, 3-1)
Peter Wright 3-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven (3-1, 3-2, 3-0)
Evening Session
Round One x4
Max Hopp 3-1 Martin Lukeman (3-0, 3-2, 2-3, 3-0)
Dirk van Duijvenbode 3-2 Andy Baetens (3-1, 1-3, 1-3, 3-1, 3-1)
Jonny Clayton 3-1 Adam Lipscombe (3-1, 2-3, 3-1, 3-1)
Connor Scutt 3-2 Simon Whitlock (3-1, 3-2, 2-3, 2-3, 3-1)
Tuesday December 16
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
Round One x4
Alan Soutar v Teemu Harju
Nick Kenny v Justin Hood
Scott Williams v Paolo Nebrida
Chris Dobey v Xiaochen Zong
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Round One x4
Ricardo Pietreczko v Jose de Sousa
Danny Noppert v Jurjen van der Velde
Gerwyn Price v Adam Gawlas
Niko Springer v Joe Comito
Best of Five Sets