Stephen Bunting Survives Major Test while The Indian pioneer Makes History for Indian Darts.
Stephen Bunting edged through a tense battle to advance into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
'The Bullet', who was a 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 Rollercoaster Match
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 en route to powering through the first set. He looked in total control after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
Nevertheless, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This let Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting steadied himself in the final set, but was still pushed to the limit before winning it 4-2.
“Performing at Ally Pally you feel all the emotions,” Bunting explained to Sky Sports. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to get away with that one.”
Kumar Creates Landmark Victory
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who created a landmark by becoming the initial victor from India at the event. He overcame the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round appearances, suggested this landmark win could have “opened the floodgates to a billion” darts players from his homeland.
“I’m lost for words at this moment. I’m emotional, 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 added with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, ten years in the future if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”
Further First-Round Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an strong 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 resounding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 scoreline.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
