There were no shocks on Tuesday night at the PDC World Darts Championships, as former champions Raymond van Barneveld, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen all recorded second round wins.
Barneveld, who last won the title in 2007, was a comfortable 4-0 winner over Alan 'Chuck' Norris in the second round. Norris was a former finalist in the BDO World Championships in 2014.
The Dutch star lost only two legs in the match, in what was an excellent performance from the five-time World champion. His 103.59 average was also one of the highest of the tournament.
16-time World champion Phil Taylor didn't need to break sweat, as he recorded a 4-0 win over former finalist Kevin Painter. A rematch of the 2004 final, Taylor only conceded four legs on the way to a comfortable win.
IT'S OVER - @PhilTaylor makes light work of Kevin Painter with a straight sets win in round two#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/JcZCNEB039
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2016
Michael van Gerwen, the overwhelming favourite for the tournament, was a 4-2 winner over Spain's Cristo Reyes. The match was far closer than the scoreline suggested, with three of the six sets being decided in the fifth leg. Despite losing, Reyes recorded the highest average of the tournament (106.07).
All three winners return to action on Thursday, in the third round. Wednesday's action sees Fermanagh's Brendan Dolan in action. 'The History Maker' meets former BDO World Champion Jelle Klaasen, with a space in the Last-16 at stake.
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