Raymond van Barneveld persevered in a back-and-forth tussle with Adrian Lewis in the World Darts Championship third round on Wednesday.
Five-time winner Barney triumphed 4-3 in a clash that was constantly fought on a knife-edge, with his trademark double 16 proving to be the decisive shot having previously been flying inaccurately all evening.
Van Barneveld missed a total of 25 doubles, compared to just seven by Lewis, but out-scored him throughout.
Lewis, the 2011 and 2012 champion, completed an 11-darter in the very first leg to propel him to the opening set, but Van Barneveld took the next two. The Dutchman moved 2-1 ahead, owing largely to a horrible leg from Lewis, who gifted him five shots at a winning double.
Lewis drew level in a set decided by one dart for each player at a double - Van Barneveld missed double 16 for the 11th time in 13 attempts, and Lewis struck double 20. The set swung on a brilliant 117 break by Lewis.
Lewis went 3-2 up with a 106 checkout after Van Barneveld squandered three doubles, but he scored his first effort in the deciding leg of the sixth set.
Van Barneveld broke in the first leg of the deciding set, which proved enough to carry him over the line, and book a last-16 spot against Phil Taylor or Kim Huybrechts.
Defending champion Gary Anderson produced a scintillating performance to win 4-2 against Benito van de Pas, who also put in a commendable display despite his elimination.
Anderson did not miss a double until the fourth set, amid a combined run of 15 in a row, until he faltered with double 20 to claim a whitewash 4-0 win.
Van de Pas was competitive in every set and, after pinching his first to reduce the deficit to 3-1, hit a 121 checkout to put his second set on the board.
The Dutchman was always clinging onto Anderson's tailcoats and lost his grip in the closing stages, missing four doubles to extend the match further and allowing the 2015 and 2016 champion to throw the final dart.
Peter 'Snakebite' Wright conceded just one leg in a rampant 4-0 win against Jamie Lewis in the second round.
Third seed Wright, the 2014 runner-up, underlined his potential to claim a first world title by scoring 12 out of 15 attempted doubles, restricting the over-matched Lewis to a single leg mid-way through the third set.
Wright shone with a 144 checkout and an 89 finish on the bullseye to set up a third-round tie against Ian White.
New customer winter madness offer: save over 40% on your Sky Sports Month Pass, just £20