'The Bullet' Survives Significant Scare as Nitin Kumar Makes A Landmark for India.
Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to advance into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
Bunting, who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a final-set shootout by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.
An Eventful Battle
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, averaging an incredible 119.4 to power through the first set. He looked in total control after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.
However, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he managed just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained unfazed 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 taking it 4-2.
“When you are playing at Alexandra Palace you experience all the feelings,” Bunting told broadcasters. “I knew Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he never gave in. I am lucky to come through that one.”
Kumar Creates Historic Victory
Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who created a landmark by becoming the initial victor from India at the championship. He defeated Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought contest.
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 potential” darts players from his homeland.
“Words fail me right now. I’m emotional, I’m delighted,” said Kumar. “If you dream it, anything is possible. This was my dream ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He concluded with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, ten years from now if you have multiple players in the world championship walking on to Indian film songs, don’t blame me.”
Further Opening Day Results
- Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an impressive start, averaging 91.62 in a one-sided 3-0 win over Belgian 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 commanding 3-0 victory.
- Dom Taylor: The other newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 scoreline.
- Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in excellent touch as he comfortably defeated Bradley Brooks 3-0.
- Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
- James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.
