Defending champion Phil Taylor will face Dutch star Raymond van Barneveld in a mouth-watering second-round showdown at the Skybet World Grand Prix on Thursday.
'The Power' was too strong for Wes Newton at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, sealing a 2-0 victory, while 'Barney' overcame 2001 champion Alan Warriner-Little 2-1.
Taylor will be looking for revenge after losing his last two games against van Barneveld in televised events.
Newton felt that he matched Taylor all the way with his scoring but the 13-time world champion was deadly on the doubles, dropping just one leg in the contest.
'I can relax now I'm through to the second round and just enjoy it,' admitted Taylor afterwards.
'Obviously the first round is difficult, so I'm just pleased to have made it through.
'Barney's a good player, very consistent and professional like myself, but Thursday's another day so I've just got to get stuck in now.'
Van Barneveld made a great start against Warriner-Little, wrapping up the first set with a 107 checkout, and he immediately took control of the next thanks to a brilliant 143 finish.
However, Warriner-Little fought back well, nailing double five to take the match into a deciding set.
The pressure was on van Barneveld but he responded like a champion, reeling off three legs to close out the match.
'This is one of the hardest tournaments to win in the world,' said van Barneveld, who is using a new set of darts.
'Everyone says that if you win the UK Open or the Dutch Open you have to be a fantastic player. But to win this one, hitting doubles to open and at the end, is so hard.'
Looking ahead to his clash with Taylor, he added: 'I hope it's a good game with Phil on Thursday. He is the best player in the world and you have to give everything.'
