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Stephen Bunting edged through a tense battle to move into the second round of the world darts championship on the opening weekend.

'The Bullet', who reached beaten semi-finalist last year, was pushed all the way to a final-set shootout by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before securing a 3-2 victory at Alexandra Palace.

An Eventful Match

Bunting began in blistering fashion, posting a superb 119.4 en route to powering through the opening set. Victory seemed assured after landing a spectacular 160 finish to claim the second set.

Nevertheless, his momentum stalled, and he managed just one leg over the subsequent two sets. This enabled Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to draw level. Bunting steadied himself in the decider, but was still pushed to the limit before taking it 4-2.

“When you are playing at Ally Pally you experience all the emotions,” Bunting told Sky Sports. “I was aware 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 second-round foe will be 'The Royal Bengal', who created a landmark by becoming the first Indian winner at the tournament. He defeated the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought contest.

The veteran player, who had been defeated in all four of his previous first-round matches, remarked this breakthrough could have “created a pathway to a billion potential” darts players from India.

“I’m lost for words at this moment. I’m ecstatic, I’m happy,” said Kumar. “With belief, anything is achievable. This vision motivated me ever since I watched Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

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

Further Opening Day Action

• Darren Beveridge: The Scottish debutant made an strong start, averaging 91.62 in a dominant 3-0 win over Belgian 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 resounding 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 excellent touch as he eased past Bradley Brooks 3-0.
• Wesley Plaisier: The Dutchman overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.