SHANE McGuirk has set up a tantalising quarter final tussle with Jimmy Van Schie after his latest win on Lakeside has seen him progress to the quarter finals.
The reigning WDF world champion put in another excellent display as he moved one step closer to defending his title with an impressive 3-1 win over Finland's Jonas Masalin.
It means McGuirk will now face off with number one seed Van Schie tomorrow night for a place in Saturday's semi-finals.
McGuirk produced a gritty performance of big checkouts and clutch finishing to fend off Masalin and extend his unbeaten run at Lakeside to nine games.
The Monaghan man is now just three more wins away from being the first player to retain the world championship title at Lakeside since Glen Durrant in 2019.
The Arrow got off to the perfect start in his last 16 clash with Masalin as he won the first set 3-1 with the minimum of fuss, hitting 14 and 15 dart legs while doing so.
The Irishman looked set to double his advantage as he sat on double top after just 12 darts in the fourth leg of the second set, before Masalin produced a superb 144 checkout to save the set and then win it with a 15 dart leg.
The game was on a knife-edge at 1-1 in the third set when McGuirk produced a magnificent 140 checkout of his own, with Masalin sitting on a double.
That proved to be the turning point in the match as McGuirk then wrapped up the third set with a 13 dart leg and went on to win the final set 3-0.
There was to be no such joy for McGuirk's fellow Irishman, Stephen Rosney, however, as he bowed out at the last 16 stage after a 3-0 defeat to New Zealand's Ben Robb.
Some early missed doubles proved very costly for Rosney as he missed the chance to win the opening set and give himself foothold in the game.
Instead it was Robb who kicked on after nicking that first set as he won five legs on the spin at on stage to move two sets up.
Ireland captain Rosney kept battling and took an early lead in the third set, but the experienced Robb wasn't to be denied as he fought back to win that third set 3-1 and advance to the quarter finals.
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