'The Bullet' Weathers Significant Test while Nitin Kumar Creates A Landmark for Indian Darts.
Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to progress into the next stage of the world darts championship on Sunday.
The Merseysider, who was a beaten semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
A Turbulent Encounter
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 as he powered through the opening set. The win appeared certain after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
Yet, his momentum stalled, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This let Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to square the match. Bunting regained his composure in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before winning it 4-2.
“When you are playing at Alexandra Palace you feel all the feelings,” Bunting stated on Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am fortunate to get away with that one.”
Kumar Secures Groundbreaking Victory
Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the first Indian winner at the tournament. He beat Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought match.
The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round matches, implied this breakthrough could have “opened the floodgates to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.
“Words fail me right now. I’m ecstatic, I’m thrilled,” Kumar expressed. “Dream big, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He joked with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade from now if you have eight people in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”
Other Opening Day Action
- Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh, who won just one leg.
- Jonny Tata: Another first-timer, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a commanding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer beat Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in excellent touch as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.
