World Darts Championship 2018: Rob Cross begins title defence with comeback win over Jeffrey de Zwaan
The world champion came into the tournament in mixed form 12 months on from stunning the world and arguably faced the toughest of the second-round ties
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rob Cross started the defence of his World Championship title with a battling 3-1 victory over Jeffrey de Zwaan on the opening night at Alexandra Palace.
The world champion came into the tournament in mixed form 12 months on from stunning the world and arguably faced the toughest of the second-round ties.
De Zwaan cruised through the first set, having beaten Nitin Kumar 3-0 earlier in the night, but Cross bounced back in style.
The 28-year-old thrived off the pressure, like he did when beating Michael Van Gerwen and Phil Taylor last year, averaging 103.66 as he reached the third round.
Lisa Ashton, one of two females among the extended 96-player field this year, was beaten 3-1 by Jan Dekker.
Four-time BDO world champion Ashton took the first set in remarkable fashion, producing checkouts of 110 and 121 while averaging 107.
But the first break came at the right time for Dekker and the Dutchman hit back to set up a second-round clash with Mervyn King.
Meanwhile, Cody Harris will play Jamie Lewis in the next stage following a 3-2 victory over Martin Schindler.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments