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Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to advance into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.

The Merseysider, who reached losing semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a dramatic fifth leg by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.

A Rollercoaster Battle

Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 en route to powering through the first set. The win appeared certain after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to claim the second set.

Yet, his form dipped, and he won just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This let Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to square the match. Bunting steadied himself in the final set, but was still pushed to the limit before taking it 4-2.

“When you are playing at this venue you go through all the feelings,” Bunting explained to broadcasters. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he kept fighting. I am lucky to come through that one.”

Kumar Makes Historic Win

Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who achieved a first by becoming the pioneering Indian at the tournament. He defeated Dutchman Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought contest.

The 40-year-old, who had been defeated in all four of his prior first-round appearances, suggested this breakthrough could have “created a pathway to a billion potential” darts players from India.

“I don’t know at this moment. I’m emotional, I’m delighted,” Kumar expressed. “With belief, anything is achievable. This vision motivated me ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He concluded with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, ten years down the line if you have eight people in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”

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 first-timer, from New Zealand, ended the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a clear 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 eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
• Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.