NOEL MALICDEM moved into the second round of the William Hill World Championship with a hard fought victory over Jeffrey De Graaf.
Philippines ace Malicdem, who won two PDC Asian Tour events in 2018, came from 2-1 down to progress.
Malicdem, who also hit a nine-darter in an Asian Tour final, won the first set 3-1 but struggled with his finishing in sets two and three, allowing his Dutch opponent to move ahead.
A 96 checkout saw Malicdem take the fourth set to level the match - and he produced a fantastic run of legs to win 3-0, largely thanks to a pivotal 91 finish on the bull in the second leg.
Malicdem will take on Australia's Kyle Anderson in the second round on Friday.
Match Stats
Averages:
De Graaf - 78.52
Malicdem - 85.86
180s:
De Graaf - 1
Malicdem - 3
Highest Finish:
De Graaf - 78
Malicdem - 96
100+ Checkouts:
De Graaf - 0
Malicdem - 0
Finishing:
De Graaf - 8/18
Malicdem - 12/40
