There was just one session of darts on Day Four of the World Darts Championship, but it still offered excitement and a slice of history.
Four matches took place in the evening session at Alexandra Palace in one of the least star-studded days of action, but it was arguably the most competitive night yet.
Two five-set behemoths, the first nine-darter of the tournament, and all the usual drama from the biggest tournament in darts.
Here are four things we learned from Day Four of the World Darts Championship.
Christian Kist hits nine-darter, but loses to Madars Razma
It was ecstasy and then agony for Dutch star Christian Kist as he kicked of his World Darts Championship campaign in style.
Kist hit the first nine-darter of the tournament and took the first set against Madars Razma, but those lofty heights were as good as it got for the Dutchman.
He may have picked up £60,000, but he lost the next three sets and crashed out of the tournament. The rollercoaster of emotions darts offers up in one action-packed match.
Razmar will play Dirk van Duijvenbode in his second-round match on Sunday, December 22 in the afternoon session.
Ricky Evans comes through narrow five-set match against Gordon Mathers
After his giant-killing exploits in the 2024 World Darts Championship, ‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans followed up his win over Nathan Aspinall last year to squeeze through his match against Gordon Mathers.
The pair played an excellent back-and-forth match before Evans showed his steel with an outstanding 109 checkout to set up a match with Dave Chisnall in round two.
It wasn’t the highest on quality, with neither man averaging above 88, and Evans’ better doubling secured him a place in the second round.
Nathan Aspinall topples Leonard Gates
Nathan Aspinall got his campaign up and running with a tricky tie against American Leonard Gates and he showed just enough to get through.
Gates was impressive against Cameron Menzies in round one, particularly on his finishing, but a 30% doubling rate against Aspinall didn’t cut it.
The Asp was solid enough to capture the win, with room for improvement, which is exactly what the Stockport thrower would have been hoping for.
Paolo Nebrida defeats Jim Williams
Darts can be a cruel game and Welshman Jim Williams found that out the hard way as he crashed out to Paolo Nebrida.
Williams hit an average of 94.10 against Nebrida – higher than both Aspinall and Ricky Evans who made it through on the same night – but was beaten in a last-set decider by his Filipino counterpart.
The pair shared 21 legs in their five-set epic and there was very little to separate the men until Nebrida came through a sudden-leg decider to earn an opportunity at Ross Smith in the second round.