Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson began their quest for Australian glory at the World Cup of Darts with a comfortable win over Russia in Frankfurt on Thursday evening.
The 2012 finalists enjoyed a 5-1 first round victory to set up a last 16 clash with Gibraltar.
Whitlock weighed in with scores of 140 and 177 in the opening leg before Nicholson pegged double four to put the Aussies ahead.
And they hardly looked back, racing three legs clear before Alexey Kadochnikov produced a 110 finish for Russia.
Nicholson took out 60 on tops to restore Team Australia’s advantage and he bedded double ten in the following leg to complete the win.
“The game was probably closer than the score-line resembled,” admitted Whitlock, the world number seven.
“They missed a few doubles but Paul and I played really well together. We gel together well and are a good combination.
“We’re good mates and it’s easy to play with Paul – and we’ve got a lot more in the tank.”
Former Players Championship winner Nicholson echoed his team-mate’s sentiments, adding: “Simon and I have been a team since the very first World Cup. We’ve got a fantastic chemistry and I’ve been looking forward to this for months.
“Form hasn’t been great for either of us coming into this tournament but we are both more than capable. We could probably go under the radar a bit and, if we can make it to Sunday, anything is possible.”
Australia will take on Gibraltar on Saturday afternoon for a place in the quarter-finals.
