Simon Whitlock eased into the second round of the World Grand Prix in Dublin with a straight sets victory over Andrew Gilding on Monday.
‘The Wizard’ dropped only one leg as he took the match in two sets (3-0, 3-1) and will face Mensur Suljovic on Wednesday for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I expected a much tougher game than that and I think the key was starting with my first three darts in every leg, which makes a big difference,” said Whitlock, the former European Champion.
“It wasn’t too special a performance but it’s a win. I’ve worked hard going into this and worked out which doubles work best for me and narrowed it down to two doubles which I’ve worked on, and it paid off for me.
“I’ve been playing really well lately and have had some good results and I’m comfortable again playing darts, so all the practice is paying off.
“I’m confident and that’s a big thing, and no matter who I play I just want to play the best darts I can.”