Ryan Searle Eliminated After Thrilling Loss to Ryan Joyce

Ryan Searle the twentieth seed was eliminated from the PDC World Darts Championship after a thrilling third-round defeat to Ryan Joyce at Alexandra Palace. Searle came back from a two-set deficit, finishing with an impressive average of 100.97 but Joyce a 2019 quarter-finalist won 4-3 in the deciding set. With the seventh set tied at 2-2, Joyce hit a brilliant 113 checkout to take the lead and then won the next leg against the darts to secure the win. Consequently, Joyce will now face fourth seed Luke Littler in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, 12th seed Nathan Aspinall reached the last 16 for the first time in five years after a dominant 4-0 victory over 21st seed Andrew Gilding. Aspinall’s sharp finishing on doubles proved crucial, hitting six of his seven darts at the outer ring in the opening two sets. Additionally, Gilding missed two darts to win the second set and Aspinall capitalized by breaking him in the deciding leg of the third with a 101 checkout.

Despite averaging just 92.17 below his usual standard, Aspinall’s six 180s at key moments and a 60% checkout percentage helped him advance. As a result, he will now meet German Ricardo Pietreczko in the next round. On the other hand, Pietreczko earned his place with a 4-1 win over last year’s semi-finalist Scott Williams. He took a two-set lead and held firm after Williams pulled one back. Furthermore, Pietreczko averaged 118.66 in the fourth set and sealed the win with a stylish 121 checkout.