James Wade crashed out of the World Darts Championship after suffering a shock defeat to Jim Williams.
The eighth seed faced a man 69 places below him in the rankings, but that often means nothing if you cannot perform on the night. And that proved to be the case here as the Welshman Williams responded to losing the first set by rallying to claim a 3-2 victory.
Wade's exit is the biggest shock of the 2022 tournament so far, crashing out in just the second round, with Williams' brilliant play impressing many through the night. Wade also became the first top 1- seed to fall at this year's PDC World Championship.
The Machine had started the match in fine form, taking the opening set 3-1 as he seemed to be on his way to a relatively comfortable victory. But his clinical form dipped off as Williams soon came into his own, showcasing his own prowess on the doubles.
An expert 119 checkout saw Williams seal the second set 3-1, tying it at 1-1, before he went on to seal the third without reply.
The fourth set proved to be a topsy-turvy affair between the duo with Wade eventually securing it to again level the match at 2-2 sending it into a deciding set.
With both players managing to hold throw, Williams then secured the crucial break as he took victory on a double 20 last dart with Wade ready to pounce himself to send it to a tiebreak.
Wade - a four-time semi-finalist at the championships, has been out of sorts since he collapsed at the European Open in Germany seven months ago. But that didn't detract from the joy Williams felt at making it to the next round.
Following his win he said: “James is mentally one of the strongest players here.
“On paper, it's one of the biggest wins of my career. At this stage last year, Joe Cullen flicked a switch and he was a lot better than I was. James stayed at the same level, but to beat a player of his pedigree is very pleasing.”
Williams will now go on to face Gabriel Clemens in the third round of the championship, scheduled to take place on December 27.
