Stephen Bunting survived a monumental scare to move into the second round of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
The Merseysider, who reached beaten semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
A Turbulent Battle
Bunting made a flying start, averaging an incredible 119.4 to power through the first set. The win appeared certain after landing a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.
Yet, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he won just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting regained his composure in the final set, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Alexandra Palace you experience all the feelings,” Bunting explained to Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to come through that one.”
Kumar Secures Historic Victory
Bunting's next opponent will be 'The Royal Bengal', who created a landmark by becoming the pioneering Indian at the event. He beat the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought contest.
The 40-year-old, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round matches, implied this landmark win could have “created a pathway to a billion” darts players from India.
“I’m lost for words at this moment. I’m overwhelmed, I’m thrilled,” Kumar stated. “Dream big, anything is achievable. This vision motivated me ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He joked with a humorous prediction: “I’m sorry, ten years down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, don’t blame me.”
Other First-Round Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a one-sided 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 other newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in good form as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutchman beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
