'The Bullet' Weathers Significant Fright as The Indian pioneer Creates A Landmark for Indian Darts.
The tournament's fourth seed edged through a tense battle to advance into the second round of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
Bunting, who was a beaten semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a final-set shootout by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.
A Rollercoaster Encounter
Bunting began in blistering fashion, averaging an incredible 119.4 en route to powering through the first set. He looked in total control after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to seize 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 settled on his shoulder – to square the match. Bunting found his rhythm in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before securing it 4-2.
“Competing at Ally Pally you go through all the emotions,” Bunting told broadcasters. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to come through that one.”
Kumar Creates Historic Win
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who created a landmark by becoming the first Indian winner at the championship. He overcame the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The 40-year-old, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round appearances, implied this landmark win could have “opened the floodgates to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.
“I don’t know at this moment. I’m emotional, I’m happy,” Kumar stated. “Dream big, anything is achievable. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He joked with a light-hearted prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade in the future if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, don’t blame me.”
Other Opening Day Action
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an impressive start, averaging 91.62 in a one-sided 3-0 win over Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
- Jonny Tata: Another first-timer, from New Zealand, ended the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a commanding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 scoreline.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in good form as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutchman overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
