Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen sealed his place in the semi-finals of the PDC World Championships after coming out on top in an exciting contest with Robert Thornton.
Van Gerwen looked to be cruising through to the last four at Alexandra Palace after a blistering start saw him race into a 3-0 lead.
He struck 180s in all five legs of the first set before finishing things off with a 10-darter, and he continued to impress as he won the next two sets as well.
However, Thornton was also producing some great darts and he won the next two sets to reduce Van Gerwen's lead to 3-2, and the 2012 UK Open champion should really have made it 3-3 as well.
The Scot could not make the most of his opportunity, though, and Van Gerwen made him pay by winning the final two sets - including a 170 checkout to seal the 5-2 victory.
Van Gerwin, who scored 13 of the 27 180 maximums in the match, told Sky Sports Darts: "What a game and it's a big relief for myself.
"Robert never gave up and he made a really good fightback and I needed to do everything to make sure I kept ahead. I was under pressure."
Despite finishing with a three-dart average of almost 106, the 25-year-old insists he must perform even better if he wants to retain his crown.
He added: "I was still not happy with my performance. With my win I was happy but I can still do a lot better.
"I've got a lot to improve before I can win this tournament and I'm very glad to be in the semi-finals of the World Championships."
Van Gerwen will now face Scotland's Gary Anderson in the semi-finals after he saw off Peter Wright 5-1.
Anderson established a 2-0 lead and, although Wright pulled a set back, the world number four powered away to claim a convincing victory that included 11 180s and an average of 102.
The 44-year-old said: "I seemed to be in control most of the match, but I missed a few wee doubles and then, bang, I let Peter back into the game a bit. It seemed like I was giving legs away at times so I was pleased to get over the line in the end.
"The scoring was there, the doubles were a bit poor, but I've done all right."
Asked if he would need to repeat his average of 102 to beat Van Gerwen, a bullish Anderson said: "He'll need that against me.
"Michael's the world champion, all the pressure's on him, and I'll tell you what, he better play because I'll be right behind him."
