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Stephen Bunting survived a monumental scare to move into the next stage of the prestigious tournament on Sunday.

'The Bullet', who reached losing semi-finalist last year, was taken all the way to a dramatic fifth leg by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki before securing a hard-fought victory at the iconic Ally Pally venue.

An Eventful Encounter

Bunting stormed out of the blocks, posting a superb 119.4 to power through the first set. Victory seemed assured after checking out a spectacular 160 finish to seize the second set.

However, his form dipped, and he managed just one leg over the next two sets. This let Bialecki – who remained unfazed even when a wasp landed on his shoulder – to pull back. Bunting found his rhythm in the decider, but was still taken to the wire before winning it 4-2.

“Performing at Ally Pally you go through all the feelings,” Bunting stated on Sky Sports. “I was aware Sebastian was going to be tough and even at 2-0 he never surrendered. I am lucky to come through that one.”

Kumar Makes Landmark Win

Bunting's next opponent will be Nitin Kumar, who created a landmark by becoming the initial victor from India at the tournament. He beat the Netherlands' Richard Veenstra 3-2 in a closely-fought match.

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

“Words fail me right now. I’m ecstatic, I’m delighted,” said Kumar. “If you dream it, anything is possible. This vision motivated me ever since I saw Dennis Priestley win the World Championship.”

He added 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 Bollywood music, don’t blame me.”

Further First-Round Action

• Darren Beveridge: The Scotland's debutant made an strong 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 first-timer, from New Zealand, ended the hopes of world No. 27 Ritchie Edhouse with a clear 3-0 victory.
• Dom Taylor: The other 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 Dutchman overcame Germany’s Lukas Wenig 3-1.
• James Hurrell: Concluded the evening's play with a 3-1 victory over American Stowe Buntz.