Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and defending champion Michael Smith are all through to Round 3 of the PDC World Championship of Darts.
The showpiece tournament continues apace, with the long opening two rounds only set to finish this Saturday before the tournament pauses for Christmas, returning on December 27.
The early stages have thrown up few surprises, but perhaps the biggest result – and indeed the game of the tournament so far - went to Man Lok Leung.
The Hong Kong arrowman came from behind to defeat Dutchman Gian van Veen who was the considerable favourite ahead of their first-round clash and, despite having been 2-0 down, Leung won three sets in a row to secure his passage to the second round.
He hit 11 180s and averaged over 96. A high scorer, it's plain to see that there is a player in the 24-year-old, especially if he can tighten up his finishing.
As a result, he's become a popular bet and his odds for the title have been slashed to 200/1. That, of course, will surely not happen – but it's possible we will see him at Ally Pally on the other side of Christmas.
He plays Gabriel Clemens in round two on Thursday night, who is 100/1 for the title himself. That match will now have some serious interest, with the Belgian 2/5 favourite and Leung 5/2 for the upset. The latter is a good bet at 5/4 for most 180s, while a Clemens 3-1 win is 14/5.
Of the big names, Smith's performance in the opening round was the least impressive. That's not a surprise to those who have watched him struggle for form ever since he became World Champion, but there was some lingering hope he would switch it on when defending his title.
He defeated Kevin Doets on opening nights by just three sets to two, and he continues to look like one to avoid at 10/1.
Humphries felt he was not at his best in his opening win against Lee Evans despite winning in straight sets, but the reality is that he remains the bookies' favourite at 3/1. He is more than deserving of those odds given his form this year.
Price was much more self-assured against Connor Scutt as he won his second-round match 3-0, conceding only two games. At 4/1 his odds are already shortening and on first impressions he looks like he has the right balance of confidence and ability to go all the way for his second title.
That is, of course, if he can keep his cool in front of a crowd that he knows doesn't like him - and which knows he doesn't like them either.
