PDC World Championship 2024: 2021 winner Gerwyn Price beaten by Brendan Dolan in third round
- Published
Brendan Dolan will face Croatia's Boris Krcmar or Scotland's Gary Anderson in the last 16
Former champion Gerwyn Price is out of the PDC World Darts Championship after a shock 4-2 defeat by Brendan Dolan.
Price beat Dolan on his way to lifting the trophy in 2021, but the Northern Irishman came out on top in their third round meeting this time.
"I am just buzzing at the minute," the world number 28 told Sky Sports.
Luke Humphries is also through to the last 16 after fighting back to beat Ricardo Pietreczko 4-3 in what he said was the "toughest" game he had played.
German Pietreczko moved to within one set of victory with a brilliant 121 checkout, but Humphries came back to take the next three and reach the last 16.
The world number three celebrated by cupping his ears to the section of the Alexandra Palace crowd that had been jeering him throughout.
"I had a section of the crowd over whistling every throw," the Englishman told Sky Sports.
"[It was] mentally and physically the toughest game I've ever been a part of. Any major final I've played in, that was 10 times worse. I felt like I was in Germany. Incredibly tough.
"I know it's all negative, but credit to myself because I was down and out but I came back.
"It wasn't the best game in the world and everyone's probably saying, 'He's never going to be world champion', but I tell you I showed a little bit of grit and determination once again."
Meanwhile, Dolan missed a match-winning dart at bull at 2-0 in a thrilling sixth set against Price, allowing the Welshman to level at 2-2, but the 50-year-old held his nerve to take his first shot at tops and win the decisive leg to secure victory over the world number five.
"I thought we might have been going to a last leg," he said. "Thank God we didn't because I don't know if I would have held it together."
Stephen Bunting's fine form at this year's championship continued with a convincing 4-0 victory against Florian Hempel.
The world number 18, who has yet to lose a set, breezed past the German with an average of 101.15 to set up a last-16 meeting with Michael van Gerwen.
Chris Dobey will face reigning world champion Michael Smith in the next round after beating Ross Smith in a topsy-turvy contest that saw him concede a two-set lead before recovering to win 4-2.
Joe Cullen also let a two-set lead slip against Ryan Searle before progressing by the same scoreline.
In the final match of the night England's Ricky Evans, who beat 2023 Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall in the last round, could not cause another upset as he was beaten 4-2 by 27th seed Daryl Gurney.
The Northern Irishman will play 11th seed Dave Chisnall in the last 16.
Thursday 28 December - round three results
Ross Smith (Eng) 2-4 Chris Dobey (Eng)
Joe Cullen (Eng) 4-2 Ryan Searle (Eng)
Florian Hempel (Ger) 0-4 Stephen Bunting (Eng)
Gerwyn Price (Wal) 2-4 Brendan Dolan (NI)
Luke Humphries (Eng) 4-3 Ricardo Pietreczko (Ger)
Ricky Evans (Eng) 2-4 Daryl Gurney (NI)
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