The pressure was on Anderson, 29, to deliver with his final bowl of the match after Walker sent his last one down to within a couple of feet to hold a match-winning lie.

The 2013 world champion is usually coolness personified when up against it and he duly produced an exquisite bowl when he needed to as his red bowl dropped just inside Walker's to secure him a nail-biting success.

It hadn't looked good for Anderson in the first set when Walker, a surprise semi-finalist in 2013, raced into a 3-0 lead after the first two ends. Anderson quickly pegged him back, but he was struggling for a consistent line and length and Walker seized the opportunity to move back into the driving seat, eventually claiming the set 9-6.

Going a set down was never going to faze Anderson and he responded brilliantly in set two, grabbing a full house after an opening gambit of two to move 6-0 ahead.

Two ends later, Anderson bagged another four to all but seal the set despite there being another five ends to go.

With such a big lead, Walker was always going to struggle to peg Anderson back and the Ayrshire ace duly took the game into a three-end tie-break.

First blood then went to Anderson with a stunning delivery that beat two close Walker efforts and the turnaround was virtually complete.

Walker, though, was hanging in there and responded on the next end to make it 1-1 and set up a winner-takes-all final end.

Walker drew to within two feet of the jack with his final bowl, but leaving the door slightly ajar for Anderson and the Auchinleck man presented with the chance was never going to pass it up and he duly confirmed his place in round two.