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Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an early exit to advance into the next stage of the world darts championship on Sunday.

Bunting, who was a beaten semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a final-set shootout by Polish qualifier Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at Alexandra Palace.

An Eventful Encounter

Bunting made a flying start, averaging an incredible 119.4 as he powered through the opening set. Victory seemed assured after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to claim the second set.

Yet, his form dipped, 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 pull back. Bunting steadied himself in the final set, but was still pushed to the limit before securing it 4-2.

“Performing at Alexandra Palace you go through all the feelings,” Bunting explained to Sky Sports. “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 Makes Historic Victory

Bunting's second-round foe will be Nitin Kumar, who achieved a first by becoming the pioneering Indian at the tournament. He beat the Netherlands' 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 matches, implied this landmark win could have “created a pathway to a billion potential” darts players from his homeland.

“I don’t know at this moment. I’m ecstatic, I’m thrilled,” Kumar stated. “With belief, anything is possible. I’ve dreamed of this 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 multiple players in the world championship entering to Indian film songs, you know who started it.”

Additional First-Round Results

• 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 managed 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 fellow newcomer saw off Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak by the same 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 beat Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Rounded off the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over America’s Stowe Buntz.