Tuesday 25 December 2018 06:52, UK
We've reflected on six of the biggest upsets in the World Darts Championship history after a host of big names perished at Alexandra Palace before Christmas.
Peter Wright's defeat against Toni Alcinas got the ball rolling this year, becoming the highest seed to lose his opening match at this event since 2006.
We didn't have long to wait for another after former BDO quarter-finalist Darius Labanauskas stunned Raymond van Barneveld on day five with a tension-filled 3-2 win that ended the legendary Dutchman's penultimate World Championship campaign at his first hurdle.
Simon Whitlock, Mensur Suljovic and Daryl Gurney soon followed with Gerwyn Price also on the casualty list after a stunning fightback from Nathan Aspinall while fellow members of the top 16 Ian White, Darren Webster and Jonny Clayton have also perished.
They are not the only big names to have come up short down the years....
The Alcinas result wasn't Wright's first shock defeat at the World Championship, after Jamie Lewis produced the best performance of his career to dump out Snakebite in the second round of last year's tournament.
The Scot had scooped 11 individual titles in a trophy-laden 2017, and was subsequently fancied by many to eclipse his run to the final in 2014 and seal a maiden World Championship title.
Nevertheless, Wright was dismantled by an irrepressible Lewis, who averaged 107.27, landed 13 maximums and converted three ton-plus finishes en route to victory.
The Welshman had only qualified for the tournament following a third-place play-off at the PDPA qualifier, but he enjoyed a scintillating run to the semi-finals, before becoming Phil Taylor's final victim in professional darts.
John Part became the first man to win a World Championship title at three different venues after his 2008 success against Kirk Shepherd at Alexandra Palace.
However, the Canadian also boasts the unwanted record of being the only defending champion to lose in the opening round in the tournament's current format.
'Darth Maple' took on American Bill Davis in round one in 2009, with Davis appearing in just his second PDC World Championship.
However, the international qualifier caused one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history- whitewashing Part 3-0 on the opening night.
Phil Taylor suffered his earliest exit in the history of the PDC World Championship when he was beaten 4-3 by Michael Smith back in 2014.
Taylor was bidding to win his 17th world title following his victory over Michael van Gerwen in 2013, but he was dumped out by 32nd seed Smith in an Ally Pally classic.
'Bully Boy' capitalised on errors from Taylor, producing 11 and 13-dart legs in the deciding set before taking out the bullseye to complete a 128 finish which secured a famous 4-3 victory.
The St Helens star was beaten by eventual finalist Peter Wright in the third round, but he was named PDC Young Player of the Year one month later, and he's since gone on to win eight PDC titles.
James Richardson caused one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history when he defeated five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld in straight sets back in 2012.
Richardson, making his Ally Pally bow, inflicted Van Barneveld's first ever opening round defeat at the PDC World Championships, taking out two 145 checkouts and a 120 en route to victory.
Richardson - then ranked 85th in the world - produced a nerveless display of finishing to triumph, despite Van Barneveld posting a 91 average to Richardson's 89.
'Ruthless' went on to lose to Kim Huybrechts in the second round, but he enjoyed his best ever World Championship run in 2018, losing to Jamie Lewis in the last 16.
Kevin Munch sent two-time world champion Adrian Lewis crashing out in the opening round of last year's World Championship.
Lewis had never previously lost in the first round in 12 years, but it was unlucky number 13 for 'Jackpot' as he succumbed to an inspired Munch.
The German crashed in eight maximums and converted finishes of 158, 118 and 124 to pull off an incredible 3-1 victory, having lost the opening set.
Munch, currently ranked 152nd in the world, went on to lose to Toni Alcinas in the second round, while this defeat saw Lewis fall outside the world's top 20 and subsequently miss out on a Premier League spot.
Kirk Shepherd pulled off a multitude of huge shocks en route to reaching the 2008 World Championship final.
The 21-year-old was making his Ally Pally debut as a PDPA qualifier, and he claimed the scalp of Terry Jenkins in round one, surviving seven match darts to prevail with a 79.09 average.
Shepherd survived more match darts against Mick McGowan and Peter Manley, while also defeating former UK Open finalist Barrie Bates in the quarter-finals.
Shepherd, a 1,000/1 outsider prior to the tournament, then stunned Phil Taylor's conqueror Wayne Mardle to reach the final, where he was eventually beaten 7-2 as John Part claimed his third world title.
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