Borland who is making his debut in the tournament this weekend made it a memorable one by dumping out Simon Whitlock in the opening game of the night.
The ever improving Scot came from 2-0 down to see off 'The Wizard' 6-3 with a fine 121 checkout to turn the game on its head at 3-2 and despite Whitlock breaking to go within one again at 4-3, four darts at doubles were missed by the Aussie.
Borland went one away as a result and smashed in a 142 checkout to move through in the first potential shock at the weekend.
While there was no shock for a rock solid Brendan Dolan who produced a superb 6-2 victory over Kim Huybrechts.
'The History Maker' who has been in superb form this year but has flattered to deceive on TV at times breezed past 'The Hurricane' with a 96 average and three 180's.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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