Stephen Bunting survived a monumental scare to progress into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.
The Merseysider, who reached losing semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a dramatic fifth leg by Polandâs Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.
Bunting began in blistering fashion, posting a superb 119.4 to power through the first set. Victory seemed assured after landing a spectacular 160 finish to claim the second set.
Yet, âThe Bulletâ cooled off, and he won just one leg over the next two sets. This allowed Bialecki â who remained unfazed even when a wasp settled on his shoulder â to square the match. Bunting found his rhythm in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.
âPerforming at this venue you experience all the feelings,â Bunting told broadcasters. âI was aware Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to get away with that one.â
Bunting's next opponent will be 'The Royal Bengal', who created a landmark by becoming the pioneering Indian at the tournament. He beat Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling contest.
The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round matches, remarked this landmark win could have âopened the floodgates to a billionâ darts players from his homeland.
âI donât know at this moment. Iâm overwhelmed, Iâm thrilled,â Kumar stated. âWith belief, anything is possible. This vision motivated me ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.â
He added with a light-hearted warning: âIâm sorry, ten years down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship walking on to Indian film songs, you know who started it.â
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
