'The Bullet' Endures Major Fright while 'The Royal Bengal' Secures A Landmark for India.
The tournament's fourth seed edged through a tense battle to move into the second round of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
Bunting, who was a losing 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 the iconic Ally Pally venue.
An Eventful Battle
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, averaging an incredible 119.4 as he powered through the first set. He looked in total control after hitting a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.
However, his momentum stalled, and he won just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This let Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting regained his composure in the final set, but was still pushed to the limit before winning it 4-2.
“When you are playing at this venue you go through all the feelings,” Bunting stated on Sky Sports. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be a challenge and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to come through that one.”
Kumar Creates Historic Victory
Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who achieved a first by becoming the first Indian winner at the championship. He overcame Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought match.
The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his prior first-round appearances, implied this landmark win could have “paved the way to a billion potential” darts players from India.
“I’m lost for words today. I’m emotional, I’m thrilled,” Kumar stated. “Dream big, anything is achievable. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He concluded with a humorous prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade from now if you have eight people in the world championship walking on to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”
Additional First-Round Action
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an strong 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, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a resounding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The other newcomer beat Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 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: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
