Raymond Smith continued his incredible run with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Florian Hempel.
Both Smith and Hempel came into the contest on the back of knocking out seeds Devon Petersen and Dimitri Van den Bergh in the second round, but it was Smith who maintained his level of performance in round three.
The Australian was at his consistent best as he proved too strong for a below-par Hempel to set up a meeting with either Mervyn King or Steve Lennon.
Dirk van Duijvenbode reached the last 16 for the second successive year with a remarkable comeback win against Ross Smith.
Last year’s quarter-finalist Van Duijvenbode looked destined for a third round exit as he trailed 3-0 in sets.
But after Smith was unable to take out 66 to wrap up a 4-0 win, the Dutchman turned the tie on its head, holding his nerve on 57 to win the set four decider, before breezing the fifth set 3-0 to pile the pressure on.
Van Duijvenbode continued his charge, winning six of the last eight legs to wrap up victory.
Michael Smith impressed in a 4-2 defeat of William O’Connor, firing in ten 180s and four ton-plus checkouts.
After a slow start saw him drop the opening set, former finalist Smith reeled off nine of the next 12 legs to take control of the contest.
O’Connor displayed his trademark resilience in winning the fifth set and forced a deciding leg in the sixth, but an opening 180 visit from Smith set him on his way to closing out victory which he finally achieved with his sixth match dart.
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