De Sousa went 6-4 up and looked to be in the drivers' seat for a win on debut but Cross sent it all the way and produced a superb 12-darter to share the points.
Cross spoke pre tournament about how he was in a good place and he certainly showed that in the opening leg with a 12-dart hold finished with an 82 checkout on the bull.
But De Sousa brought his trademark finishing to his debut with two double 18's on a 72 checkout to make it 1-1.
A 66 checkout on double 18 saw Cross lead 2-1 and the holds of throw continued as De Sousa hit double 20 to make it 2-2.
But a break soon came for De Sousa who pinned double five to make it 3-2. Cross hit straight back though with his trademark double 18 to tie it up at 3-3.
From there, they shared the legs but De Sousa returned to break again at 5-4 up on double 11 after Cross spurned a shot at 108.
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De Sousa hit a 180 to leave 67 on his own throw and despite missing two darts to claim a guaranteed point, he returned to hit double two as Cross could only muster pressure in the form of a 140 to leave double six.
Cross went one away from a potential draw though by holding his throw on double eight leaving all to The Special One on his throw.
A 180 left Cross on 88 on De Sousa's throw with the latter only able to leave 142 from a 60. This allowed Cross to end it with a flourish in the form of an 88 checkout on the bull to share the points.
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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