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Stephen Bunting edged through a tense battle to advance into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.

The Merseysider, who was a beaten semi-finalist last year, was forced all the way to a final-set shootout by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before finally clinching a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.

A Rollercoaster Battle

Bunting stormed out of the blocks, averaging an incredible 119.4 en route to powering through the first set. The win appeared certain after hitting a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.

However, his form dipped, and he managed just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This allowed Bialecki – who remained oblivious even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting regained his composure in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before taking it 4-2.

“Competing at this venue you go through all the emotions,” Bunting explained to broadcasters. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be a challenge and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am fortunate to come through that one.”

Kumar Creates Landmark Victory

Bunting's second-round foe will be 'The Royal Bengal', who created a landmark by becoming the initial victor from India at the event. He beat the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a thrilling match.

The 40-year-old, who had lost in all four of his previous first-round matches, suggested this landmark win could have “paved the way to a billion potential” darts players from India.

“I don’t know at this moment. I’m emotional, I’m happy,” Kumar stated. “If you dream it, anything is achievable. This was my dream ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He concluded with a light-hearted warning: “I’m sorry, a decade down the line if you have multiple players in the world championship entering to Bollywood music, don’t blame me.”

Other Opening Day Results

• Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an convincing start, averaging 91.62 in a dominant 3-0 win over Belgium's Dimitri Van den Bergh, who managed just one leg.
• Jonny Tata: Another first-timer, from New Zealand, dashed the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a commanding 3-0 victory.
• Dom Taylor: The fellow newcomer beat Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the identical 3-0 margin.
• Joe Cullen: The world No. 32 was in excellent touch as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
• Wesley Plaisier: The Dutch player overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.