 Van Barneveld held his nerve to beat Baxter in the decider
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Former champion Raymond van Barneveld was pushed all the way before beating Ronnie Baxter 4-3 to reach the PDC World Championship quarter-finals.
The Dutchman came from 3-2 down and after the players were tied at five legs apiece in the decider, claimed victory in the sudden-death leg.
Baxter had three darts to win the match but van Barneveld clinched victory with double top.
He will next face compatriot Jelle Klaasen, the 2006 BDO World champion.
Klaasen beat world number seven Andy Hamilton 4-1, despite Hamilton throwing 11 maximums in the game.
The Dutchman took the opening set but missed two darts which would have given him a 2-0 lead and Hamilton capitalised to level the match.
Klaasen led the third set 2-1 and then broke Hamilton for the first time in the game to take the set.
Although Hamilton opened up the fourth set with an 11-dart leg, Klaasen took control again and kept his nerve to take the set and go on to secure victory.
"It was very tough and it could have gone 4-1 to Andy," said Klaasen afterwards. "He scored very well but my finishing was good again."
"I'm very happy with how the tournament is going and it feels great to be in the quarter-finals but I want to go further."
Dutchman Co Stompe ended five-time semi-finalist Wayne Mardle's hopes with a 4-0 win.
Mardle failed to rekindle the form which saw him defeat Robert Thornton in round two and Stompe, who has already defeated Andy Jenkins and Alan Tabern on his Alexandra Palace debut, will take on Phil Taylor on New Year's Day.
Paul Nicholson staged a comeback to beat Dennis Priestley 4-2 after trailing 2-0.
The British-born Australian rallied to take four sets in a row to defeat the former champion.
"It is kind-of surreal, a privilege just to be there, and to beat him, I cannot describe that," said Nicholson.
Priestley said: "I did alright but I could not keep it going.
"I was disappointed not winning the fourth set because I should have taken that. That was the turning point."
Nicholson will hope to continue his form in the last eight against third seed James Wade, who beat Vincent van der Voort 4-0.
Meanwhile, Mervyn King proved too strong for Dennis Smith, booking his place in the last eight with a 4-1 win.
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