Andy Hamilton overcame a scare against qualifier Tony Ayres before keeping his Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship bid on track on Sunday afternoon.
The number seven seed from Stoke trailed 2-1 against the newcomer from Sussex, only to reel off three straight sets to book his place in the last 16 at London's Alexandra Palace.
Hamilton struggled early on, but found some fine form as the contest progressed to land eight 180’s and an impressive six ton-plus finishes, including the highest possible checkout of 170.
‘I finished well and that's what won me the game,’ said Hamilton.
‘Some of the finishes hurt him but I need to get the whole package together now.’
Hamilton faces a Dutch test in either Jelle Klaasen or Jan van der Rassel in the third round, while Barrie Bates and Ronnie Baxter also booked their last 16 spots on Sunday.
Bates matched Hamilton's six ton-plus finishes in ending the hopes of American Bill Davis, who had knocked out defending champion John Part last week but went down to a 4-2 loss.
Baxter took an impressive 4-1 win over Denis Ovens, coming from a set down to set up a third round meeting with world number two Raymond van Barneveld or Wes Newton.
Barrie Bates jumped into the last 16 with a 4-2 defeat of Bill Davis.
Bates fell behind on two occasions to the American, but won three successive sets to reach the last 16 for the second consecutive year.
Davis, who defeated reigning World Champion John Part on the opening night, started the better of the two, breaking throw in the first leg and then winning the next to go 2-0 ahead.
Bates punished missed doubles to win the next two legs, which included a 141 checkout, but Davis made no mistake in the decider with an excellent 116 finish as the Welshman waited for his chance.
The second set proved to be a tight affair as both players held their own throws in the opening four legs.
Bates took the decider against the darts, hitting a maximum and following that up with a 121 checkout to level the game.
The Welshman opened up a 2-0 lead in set three, hitting a 106 finish in the second leg, before Davis pulled a leg back with a 120 'Shanghai' checkout.
Bates had opportunities to take the lead for the first time in the match over the course of the next two legs - but crucially was off-target with all six attempts and Davis stepped in to regain the lead with a two-dart 80 finish.
In the fourth set Bates, who reached the UK Open Final two years ago, managed to level the match once again, nicking the deciding leg against the darts with a 71 finish.
He then rattled through the fifth set to lead for the first time in the match thanks to finishes of 104 and 101 and a 13-darter, which included his fourth maximum of the game.
American ace Davis took the first two legs of the sixth set, before Bates took the next to cut back to 2-1.
Davis missed eight darts for the set in the fourth leg, and Bates took his chance on double two.
The American was made to rue those opportunities even more in the deciding leg when Bates hit a fantastic 121 checkout, landing the bullseye to win the match.
