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World number 86 Justin Hood beat sixth seed Danny Noppert in an Alexandra Palace classic as three more seeds exited the PDC World Championship on the final day of competition before the Christmas break.
Hood won a sudden-death leg of a high-quality match to progress to the last 32, having missed a dart at the bull to win in straight sets.
Noppert fought back to force a decider and, helped by some clutch ton-plus finishes throughout, created a victory chance for himself in a dramatic final set.
But Hood, the 32-year-old debutant, held his nerve in the final leg to land a 78 finish, setting up a third-round tie with fellow English left-hander Ryan Meikle.
Both players averaged more than 102 and hit more than 40% of their attempts at doubles.
Hood told Sky Sports: "It was a good game and I knew it would be because Danny is a class player.
"I don't worry about the pressure, I just throw the darts and if it's good enough, it's good enough. Tonight it was."
Seventeen of the 32 seeds have been knocked out in the opening two rounds of the tournament, with Noppert the highest-ranked player to fall so far.
Also beaten on Tuesday were two-time former champion Peter Wright, who lost in straight sets to German debutant Arno Merk, and Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney, who came out on the wrong side of a deciding set with England's Callan Rydz.
Merk's reward is a third-round match with three-time champion Michael van Gerwen, who beat William O'Connor 3-1, while Rydz will next face 11th seed Josh Rock - the man who partnered Gurney to World Cup glory in June.
Rock was a dominant winner against Australia's Joe Comito, while Scotland's two-time champion Gary Anderson put in a vintage display in a 3-1 win against England's Connor Scutt, registering a 105.41 average on the day after his 55th birthday.
The tournament will resume on Saturday, when round three is scheduled to get under way.
Third-round ties will be played over a longer format than the opening two rounds, with matches to be decided over the best of seven sets rather than the best of five.
Wright, who triumphed at Alexandra Palace in 2020 and 2022, was well below par against Merk - winning just two legs and averaging below 80.
The Scot, 55, landed just two of his 15 darts at doubles and Merk, who ended with an average of 92.17 and hit nine of his 19 double attempts, took full advantage.
"I'm stunned, I can't believe it," the 33-year-old said after his win against 30th seed Wright. "I just beat a legend and I'm so happy.
"If I play like this, I can be dangerous for anybody."
Gurney, the 22nd seed, lost a close contest to Rydz, who hit two 167 checkouts in a match which went to a tie-break in the fifth set.
Meikle fought back from two sets down to beat New Zealand's Jonny Tata, while Dutch 19th seed Jermaine Wattimena defeated Englishman Scott Williams and will play Anderson next.
