'The Bullet' Weathers Huge Fright as 'The Royal Bengal' Creates History for India.

The tournament's fourth seed edged through a tense battle to advance into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.

'The Bullet', who reached beaten semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a deciding tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a 3-2 victory at Alexandra Palace.

An Eventful Match

Bunting began in blistering fashion, averaging an incredible 119.4 as he powered through the first set. The win appeared certain after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.

Nevertheless, 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 pull back. Bunting regained his composure in the final set, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.

“Performing at this venue you feel all the feelings,” Bunting told broadcasters. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am lucky to get away with that one.”

Kumar Creates Landmark Victory

Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who created a landmark by becoming the first Indian winner at the championship. 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 “created a pathway to a billion potential” darts players from India.

“I’m lost for words today. I’m emotional, I’m thrilled,” said Kumar. “If you dream it, anything is achievable. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He concluded with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, ten years in the future if you have eight people in the world championship walking on to Indian film songs, you know who started it.”

Other First-Round Action

• Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an strong 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 fellow newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 scoreline.
• Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in good form 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.