PHIL TAYLOR and Simon Whitlock turned on the style as they won through to the Dutch Darts Masters quarter-finals with wins over Andy Smith and Ian White respectively.
Taylor recorded a superb 109.76 average in his 6-1 win over Andy Smith as he powered through to the last eight, where he now plays Wayne Jones after the Wolverhampton man defeated Andy Jenkins by the same scoreline.
Number two seed Whitlock, meanwhile, averaged 102.50 in an impressive 6-1 win over in-form Ian White, who was the runner-up in the European Tour event in Stuttgart last month.
Whitlock now plays Swindon's Johnny Haines, who followed up last night's defeat of Raymond van Barneveld with a 6-5 win over Jamie Caven as he reached the quarter-finals for just the second time since winning a Tour Card to turn professional in January.
Paul Nicholson reached the quarter-finals for the first time in a European Tour event with his 6-1 win over Max Hopp, the German teenager who has impressed in defeating Terry Jenkins and Steve Beaton this weekend.
Nicholson now faces another youngster, former World Youth Champion Arron Monk, after he reached the quarter-finals with a 6-4 defeat of Andy Hamilton.
The other quarter-final will feature Belgian Kim Huybrechts - who saw off Colin Osborne 6-4 - and Mark Walsh, who was a 6-3 winner against Steve Brown.
Sunday's evening session will see the destiny of the £15,000 first prize decided, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final being held at the Van Der Valk Hotel in Nuland.
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Dutch Darts Masters - European Tour Event Five
Third Round
Afternoon Session
Phil Taylor 6-1 Andy Smith
Andy Jenkins 1-6 Wayne Jones
Max Hopp 1-6 Paul Nicholson
Andy Hamilton 4-6 Arron Monk
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Ian White
Johnny Haines 6-5 Jamie Caven
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Colin Osborne
Steve Brown 3-6 Mark Walsh
All games the best of 11 legs
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Quarter-Finals
Phil Taylor v Wayne Jones
Paul Nicholson v Arron Monk
Simon Whitlock v Johnny Haines
Kim Huybrechts v Mark Walsh
Match Information
Phil Taylor - the German Darts Championship was the afternoon's first winner, powering past Andy Smith 6-1 with a 109.76 average. Taylor hit a 180 in a 14-darter to open the game, with Smith levelling on double 16. Taylor, though, took the third, broke in the fourth with a superb 11-darter and took out 121 to lead 4-1, before winning the next two on double 16 to secure his place in the last eight.
Wayne Jones set up a quarter-final against Phil Taylor with a 6-1 win over Andy Jenkins. Jones made a great start, hitting a 180 in the first leg and successive 76 finishes to lead 2-0 before winning the next three to lead 5-0. He also hit a maximum in the sixth leg but missed three match darts as Jenkins took out 82 to keep the game alive, only to seal the win in the next.
Paul Nicholson ended the challenge of 16-year-old German Max Hopp with a 6-1 victory to reach his first ProTour quarter-final since January. Hopp had defeated Terry Jenkins and Steve Beaton to reach the last 16, and shared the first two legs with Nicholson, landing a 180 as he levelled. Nicholson, though, hit maximums in the next two as he edged 3-1 up, before taking the fifth and then finishing 150 to lead 5-1. The Australian World Cup ace then sealed his first European Tour quarter-final with double nine as he completed the win.
Arron Monk reached his first European Tour quarter-final with a 6-4 win over Andy Hamilton. The former World Youth Champion continued his impressive weekend in a tight game, where the first six legs all went with throw before Monk finished 20 to break in the seventh. He then took out 69 to lead 5-3, with Hamilton posting double eight to win his fourth leg. The players traded 180s in the next, with Monk missing double ten for a 140 checkout for the match only for Hamilton to miss double five for a 87 finish to force a decider as the youngster returned to hit the same bed and seal the win.
Simon Whitlock marched into the last eight, defeating Ian White 6-1 with a superb performance, ending with a 102.50 average. The pair shared the first two legs before Whitlock took out 90 and 96 in successive legs to take command at 3-1. He then finished double ten and tops, for a 13-darter, to lead 5-1 before hitting a 180 and finishing 82 on the bull for a 12-darter in sealing the win.
Johnny Haines won through to the quarter-finals with a narrow 6-5 win over Jamie Caven. Haines led 2-1 early on before Caven took the next two to edge ahead. The Swindon ace, who defeated Raymond van Barneveld on Saturday, then took out 66 to level and won the seventh to move 4-3 up. Caven levelled as he opened the eighth leg with 180, 132 and 14, and the next two were shared to force a decider. Haines opened with a maximum, and finished a 15-darter to book his place in the last eight - his first in a European Tour event and only his second quarter-final since winning a Tour Card in January.
Belgian Kim Huybrechts saw off Colin Osborne 6-4 to win through to the last eight. The game's first three legs went against the throw as Huybrechts led 2-1, winning the third leg with a 13-darter, before he took out 89 to win the fourth for a 3-1 lead. Osborne finished 64 to hit back, and after the Belgian finished 97 for his fourth leg, hit double one to stay in touch at 4-3. Huybrechts won the next to edge towards the win, and although Osborne finished a 14-darter to keep his hopes alive, Huybrechts finished 74 to seal the win.