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The 2024 semi-finalist survived a monumental scare to move into the second round of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.

Bunting, who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was forced all the way to a dramatic fifth leg by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a 3-2 victory at Alexandra Palace.

An Eventful Match

Bunting stormed out of the blocks, averaging an incredible 119.4 as he powered through the opening set. He looked in total control after hitting a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.

However, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting regained his composure in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before winning it 4-2.

“Competing at Ally Pally you experience all the feelings,” Bunting explained to broadcasters. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am lucky to come through that one.”

Kumar Secures Historic Win

Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the pioneering Indian at the tournament. He overcame Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought match.

The veteran player, who had lost in all four of his prior first-round matches, remarked this landmark win could have “opened the floodgates to a billion” darts players from his homeland.

“I’m lost for words today. I’m ecstatic, I’m delighted,” Kumar stated. “Dream big, anything is possible. This was my dream ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He concluded with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, a decade down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship walking on to Bollywood music, don’t blame me.”

Other First-Round Results

• Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's debutant made an strong start, averaging 91.62 in a dominant 3-0 win over Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh, who won 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 fellow newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 scoreline.
• Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in fine fettle as he comfortably defeated 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.