Nathan Aspinall fired a warning to his rivals after booking his place in the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championships with a 4-0 win over Andrew Gilding at Alexandra Palace.

The 33-year-old Aspinall did not have to be on his best form to beat his below-par opponent and maintain hopes of emulating his back-to-back semi-final appearances in 2019 and 2020.

But he believes an evident improvement in one of the weaker parts of his game augurs well for the sterner tests that will face him in the later stages.

Aspinall told Sky Sports: “Normally I’m really bad at finishing, that’s normally why I lose, but in the last two games I’ve scored very well. I don’t care about averages and numbers – I’m in the last 16.

“In the last six months I’ve been very flat when I’m playing and I’ve made a conscious effort to get that fire lit in my stomach. If I get the scoring going with that finishing, I’m tough to beat.”

Aspinall will face Ricardo Pietreczko in the last 16 after the German brushed aside Scott Williams 4-1, wrapping up his victory with an impressive 121 checkout.

Ryan Joyce set up a potential last 16 clash with Luke Littler after withstanding a double comeback by opponent Ryan Searle to clinch a nail-biting 4-3 win.

Searle dredged his way back to level after losing the first two sets, then also recovered from 2-0 down in the sixth set to force the decider.

But at 3-2 down in the final set, Searle missed a single 20 to set up a dart at tops that would have tied the set at 3-3, and Joyce duly finished the job to earn his place in round four for the first time since 2019.