'The Bullet' Weathers Huge Fright as 'The Royal Bengal' Secures A Landmark for Indian Darts.
The tournament's fourth seed narrowly avoided an early exit to move into the second round of the world darts championship on the opening weekend.
Bunting, who reached losing semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
A Turbulent Encounter
Bunting began in blistering fashion, posting a superb 119.4 to power through the opening set. The win appeared certain after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to claim the second set.
However, his momentum stalled, and he managed just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting regained his composure in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
“Performing at Ally Pally you experience all the emotions,” Bunting told Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to get away with that one.”
Kumar Secures Groundbreaking Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who achieved a first by becoming the pioneering Indian at the event. He overcame the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought match.
The veteran player, who had lost in all four of his prior first-round appearances, remarked this breakthrough could have “opened the floodgates to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.
“I’m lost for words today. I’m ecstatic, I’m thrilled,” Kumar expressed. “With belief, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He joked with a light-hearted warning: “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 Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
- Jonny Tata: Another debutant, from New Zealand, ended 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 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in good form as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.
