Stephen Bunting edged through a tense battle to move into the second round of the prestigious tournament on the opening weekend.
'The Bullet', who reached beaten semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a dramatic fifth leg by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before securing a 3-2 victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.
Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 to power through the first set. Victory seemed assured after hitting a spectacular 160 finish to take the second set.
Nevertheless, his form dipped, and he won just one leg over the next two sets. This enabled Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp settled on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting regained his composure in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before winning it 4-2.
“Competing at Alexandra Palace you feel all the feelings,” Bunting stated on Sky Sports. “I knew Sebastian was going to be a challenge and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to get away with that one.”
Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who made history by becoming the initial victor from India at the championship. He defeated Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round appearances, suggested this landmark win could have “paved the way to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.
“Words fail me right now. I’m ecstatic, I’m thrilled,” Kumar stated. “With belief, anything is possible. This was my dream ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”
He concluded with a humorous warning: “I’m sorry, ten years down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship walking on to Bollywood music, don’t blame me.”
