PHIL Taylor opened his bid for a fourth Rileys Darts Zones UK Open title by easing past Wayne Mardle 9-2 at the Reebok Stadium last night.

Taylor, fresh from hitting two nine-darters in winning the Whyte & Mackay Premier League 11 days ago, wasted little time in progressing to the last 32 of the competition, where he will meet Kevin Painter.

He won the opening eight legs against Mardle without reply before the Essex star kept the game alive, albeit briefly, with back-to-back legs.

Taylor then completed the rout with an average of just over 100.

"I'm flying at the moment and enjoying my darts," admitted Taylor. "I've got to really push for this over the next two days because I want to keep this title."

Mardle has dropped to the edge of the world's top 32 in the past six months and Taylor added: "It was a bit of a mismatch.

"Wayne was a bit flat at the beginning and didn't play as well as he can do.

"I would love to see him get back on track and I've invited him to come and practice with me. If he listens to that and does what I tell him he might do that."

Adrian Lewis and Andy Hamilton also encountered little resistance as they began their challenge for the £40,000 title in Bolton.

Lewis defeated Michael Barnard 9-3 to set up a clash against Hamilton's practice partner Colin Osborne, while Hamilton himself dropped just one leg in a comprehensive defeat of Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan.

He will now take on Alex Roy in the next round.