'The Bullet' Weathers Huge Test as The Indian pioneer Makes A Landmark for India.
Stephen Bunting survived a monumental scare to progress into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
The Merseysider, who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a final-set shootout by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
An Eventful Encounter
Bunting began in blistering fashion, averaging an incredible 119.4 en route to powering through the opening set. Victory seemed assured after landing a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.
However, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he managed just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This enabled Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting steadied himself in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
“When you are playing at this venue you go through all the feelings,” Bunting explained to 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 Makes Groundbreaking Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the initial victor from India at the event. He beat the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The veteran player, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round matches, implied this landmark win could have “created a pathway to a billion” darts players from India.
“Words fail me right now. I’m overwhelmed, I’m happy,” said Kumar. “With belief, anything is possible. This was my dream ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He added with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade from now if you have eight people in the world championship walking on to Indian film songs, don’t blame me.”
Additional First-Round Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's 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 debutant, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a resounding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The other newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 margin.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutchman overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.
