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Gerwyn Price survived a major scare before beating fellow Welshman Jamie Lewis 3-2 to reach the third round of the William Hill PDC World Championship.
Price, the number three seed, is known as “The Iceman” but was in danger of losing his cool and his place in the tournament as Lewis increased the pressure at Alexandra Palace in London.
But Price stood his ground to win the final set 3-0 and secure a third-round date with Brendan Dolan or Edward Foulkes.
Price told Sky Sports: “I couldn’t go on. No matter how someone has played in the past, I knew they would play a little better against me.
“Jamie didn’t play brilliant, but he did play better than him. I was thinking about that and that’s where I went wrong.
“It’s different without the crowd. I know they get on my back a lot, but it gives me that energy and it cheers me up.
“Sometimes when you can’t get going, you need these people to push you a bit.”
Lewis entered the contest as a big underdog against Price, a three-time winner of major titles.
But they won four games in a row to take the first set 3-1 and lead 1-0 in the second.
Price, who struggled in his doubles and averaged just 77 in the first set, hit two 180s and produced a 160 finish to lead 2-1.
Lewis leveled with a fourth-set whitewash, but Price responded in kind to make sure he would be after Christmas.
Pole Krzysztof Ratajski beat Ryan Joyce 3-0 with the help of an 11-dart leg in the second set.
But his victory was tinged with sadness, as Poland’s ban on flights from Britain amid coronavirus concerns means Ratajski will spend Christmas in London.
“I am here for Christmas and it is very difficult for me because I would like to stay with my family at home and celebrate,” Ratajski said.
“But the border with Poland is closed and I have no other choice. I must stay here.”
The remaining two games on Monday saw Kim Huybrechts defeat No. 10 seed Ian White 3-1, while Gabriel Clemens defeated Nico Kurz by the same score in the all-German battle.
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