'The Bullet' Weathers Significant Scare while The Indian pioneer Creates History for India.

The 2024 semi-finalist survived a monumental scare to advance into the second round of the world darts championship on Sunday.

'The Bullet', who was a losing semi-finalist last year, was forced all the way to a final-set shootout by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.

A Rollercoaster Battle

Bunting began in blistering fashion, posting a superb 119.4 en route to powering through the opening set. The win appeared certain after landing a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.

However, ‘The Bullet’ cooled off, and he won 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 found his rhythm in the final set, but was still taken to the wire before securing it 4-2.

“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the feelings,” Bunting stated on broadcasters. “I knew Sebastian was going to be difficult and even at 2-0 he never gave in. I am fortunate to come through that one.”

Kumar Secures Groundbreaking Victory

Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who achieved a first by becoming the initial victor from India at the championship. He defeated the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought contest.

The veteran player, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round appearances, implied this breakthrough could have “paved the way to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.

“I’m lost for words today. I’m ecstatic, I’m thrilled,” Kumar expressed. “With belief, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He joked with a humorous prediction: “I’m sorry, a decade from now if you have eight people in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, you know who started it.”

Additional First-Round Action

• Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's debutant made an impressive start, averaging 91.62 in a comprehensive 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 clear 3-0 victory.
• Dom Taylor: The other newcomer defeated Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 3-0 margin.
• Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in good form as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
• Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.