Hempel

The Welshman will face either Daryl Gurney or Florian Hempel in the third round after the three-day Christmas break.

Both men hit seven 180s in a match played at a fast and furious pace, but 34-year-old Hempel's superior doubles gave him a fourth straight first-round victory in the competition.

Also on Friday night, Germany's Florian Hempel showed why he loves playing on the Alexandra Palace stage with a thrilling 3-1 victory in a high-quality contest against Jeffrey de Zwaan.

Hempel moves on to a tie with 26th seed Daryl Gurney but it was a damaging loss for De Zwaan, 28, who came through a late qualifier in November and needed a good run here to keep his PDC tour card for next season.

Stephen Bunting's fine form at this year's championship continued with a convincing 4-0 victory against Florian Hempel.