PDC World Championship 2024: Gary Anderson cruises to victory against Simon Whitlock
- Published
Gary Anderson (left) dominated the first two sets against second-round opponent Simon Whitlock
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson cruised to a second-round victory against Simon Whitlock at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship.
Scotland's Anderson finished with a 116 checkout - the highest of the match - to beat Australian Whitlock 3-0.
Anderson, 52, moves into the third round, which begins on 27 December.
"The first set I played well, but I've known Simon for a long time and he was struggling up there," Anderson told Sky Sports at Alexandra Palace.
He added: "I'm enjoying it again, win or lose, I'm enjoying it.
"The more I play, the more I get used to it, so fingers crossed. But I still want to be 35 again."
Anderson was dominant in the opening two sets before 54-year-old Whitlock averaged over 100 in the third, but that was not enough to stop the 2015 and 2016 winner from advancing.
In the afternoon session, Dave Chisnall knocked out part-time player and plumber Cameron Menzies in the second round.
England's Chisnall, who is seeded 11th, came from a set down to win 3-1 against Scotland's Menzies, who missed five darts to force a deciding set as both players struggled.
"It ended up being a tough game for me," said Chisnall. "I know [Cameron] can play. He's a good player.
"The first set, I just wasn't there. I couldn't find anything - and I was throwing fast as well."
Also on Saturday, Ireland's Keane Barry beat Reynaldo Rivera 3-1 to set up a tie with three-time PDC world champion Michael van Gerwen in the second round on Tuesday.
Barry, 21, took the first two sets but had to contend with Rivera's slow style of play, much to the annoyance of the fans watching on.
Rivera, from the Philippines, battled back to win the third set before Barry closed out the decider.
On the prospect of facing Dutchman Van Gerwen, Barry said: "The game will probably suit me more. There's no pressure on me, so I'm just going to go up there and enjoy myself."
Results
Afternoon session
Lee Evans 3-0 Sandro Eric Sosing (R1)
Connor Scutt 3-0 Krzysztof Kciuk (R1)
Darren Penhall 3-1 Jules van Dongen (R1)
Dave Chisnall 3-1 Cameron Menzies (R2)
Evening Session
Jamie Hughes 3-1 David Cameron (R1)
Keane Barry 3-1 Reynaldo Rivera (R1)
Scott Williams 3-1 Haruki Muramatsu (R1)
Gary Anderson 3-0 Simon Whitlock (R2)