Stephen Bunting stormed into the World Darts Championship quarter-finals with a commanding 4-0 victory over Luke Woodhouse at Alexandra Palace on Monday night.
Brimming with confidence, the Bullet also sent out a warning to the likes of Luke Littler by insisting he wants to go all the way this year.
The eighth seed needed just 35 minutes to complete the whitewash, his first of this year’s tournament.
The win marks a significant improvement in form for Bunting, who had previously dropped sets against both Kai Gotthardt and Madars Razma in earlier rounds.
Stephen Bunting has high hopes of winning the Worlds
PA
Woodhouse struggled throughout the contest, managing to claim only three legs as Bunting dominated from the opening moments.
Bunting’s performance was highlighted by his exceptional scoring, landing six maximum 180s compared to Woodhouse’s solitary effort.
Despite his dominant display, Bunting had to wait until the opening leg of the second set to register his first maximum of the match.
Speaking after his victory, Bunting expressed his belief in potential tournament success, telling Sky Sports: “We can do this, we really can.”
The Alexandra Palace crowd favourite acknowledged pre-match nerves, saying: “It’s weird because in the practice room earlier on and all of today I felt so nervous.
Luke Littler is many’s favourite to win the World Championship
Reuters
“I don’t want to let these guys down.”
He emphasised the importance of crowd support, comparing it to his beloved Liverpool FC: “At Anfield we always say it’s like the 12th man with the crowd, in here it’s no different.”
“When we’re up on this stage, it’s a very, very lonely place and when things aren’t going right, it’s so tough and we need you guys behind us 100 per cent,” he added.
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Bunting’s victory sets up an intriguing New Year’s Day quarter-final clash with two-time world champion Peter Wright.
Wright enters the match following one of the tournament’s most notable results, having eliminated reigning champion Luke Humphries with a 4-1 victory.
Looking ahead to the quarter-final, Bunting expressed his respect for Wright: “I expect the Peter Wright to turn up who was there yesterday against Luke. What a win for Peter, brilliant.”
“I’ve got Peter Wright now, I’ve got a day off. I’ll make sure I’m 100 per cent ready for that game,” Bunting added.
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