The bar was set high on the first night of the Unibet Masters as Raymond van Barneveld edged Dave Chisnall in a thriller.
The pair traded maximums in the opening leg, which van Barneveld won in 12 darts, and that set the tone for a fabulous spectacle which may not be bettered all weekend.
Chisnall fought back from 5-2 and 7-3 down and again levelled the match at 9-9, but van Barneveld held firm in the deciding leg as he held throw for a 10-9 victory.
The Dutch star threatened to end a stunning match in fitting fashion as he narrowly missed bull for a 164 finish, but rare loose darts from Chisnall saw him fail to set up a double attempt from 88.
Van Barneveld returned to take out 25 and progress to the second round, having averaged 101.59 and hit two big checkouts, including a 130.
Chisnall averaged a whopping 106.48 and threw nine maximums, including one in the deciding leg, but not even that was enough to win what may yet go down as one of the matches of the year.
Mensur Suljovic stumbled over the line to beat Michael Smith 10-8.
It looked set to be a swift return to the stage for both men as Suljovic raced into a 5-0 lead, and while Smith got on the board at last in the sixth leg, Suljovic fired in a 116 checkout for a 6-1 lead.
Smith, however, responded with a 130 checkout as he won seven of the next nine legs to level at 8-8.
To his credit, Suljovic edged back in front with his second 116 finish of the match and the Austrian would hold throw for a hard-fought victory, averaging 100.20 in the process.
Rob Cross made an impressive start to life as world champion with a 10-3 dismissal of Ian White.
Any concerns that Cross might be caught napping in his first TV match since beating Phil Taylor at Alexandra Palace proved wide of the mark, as he averaged 102.38 en route to a straightforward success.
Cross opened up in style, firing a 167 checkout in the first of three 12-dart legs in an altogether one-sided affair.
"It's been a busy time since the World Championship but I'm glad to be back to work in a way," said Cross. "I still felt confident that I would play well but I felt rusty today and it was weird.
"It's been four weeks since I played properly and I've been kicking my heels waiting for this, so I'm happy to win and I got the job done.
"Ian never really got going but I think the 167 hurt him and it gave me a foothold in the game and I got ahead of him."
There were fewer fireworks in the final game of the night, as Peter Wright beat Alan Norris 10-5.
Wright was always in command, producing his best darts in the seventh leg as a pair of maximums put him on the way to a 5-2 lead.
Norris was more competitive thereafter, but Wright never looked like reneging his advantage and a final 180 - his sixth of the game - saw him seal victory in the 15th leg.
Friday's first-round results
- Dave Chisnall 9-10 Raymond van Barneveld
- Mensur Suljovic 10-8 Michael Smith
- Rob Cross 10-3 Ian White
- Peter Wright 9-5 Alan Norris
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