Fan favorite Stephen Bunting was pushed to a final-set tie-break before edging out Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki 3-2 in a tense opener.
Despite averaging a strong 119 in the first set and quickly taking a 2-0 lead, Bunting found himself pegged back by a resilient Bialecki. ‘The Bullet’ ultimately rallied to win the deciding leg 4-2, finishing the match with a 96 average and nine 180s.
“I’m lucky to get away with that,” a relieved Bunting told Sky Sports afterwards. “I need to regroup and get back on the practice board. That’s the nervous one out of the way—I’ll be better in the next round.”
That next round will be against Indian darting history-maker Prakash Kumar. Earlier, Kumar secured a landmark victory, becoming the first Indian player to win a match on the famed Alexandra Palace stage with a thrilling 3-2 win over Dutchman Richard Veenstra.
The 40-year-old, who had lost all four of his previous first-round appearances, is now through to the last 64 of the competition, setting up a second-round clash against Bunting.
By James Kisoo
