Bunting crashes out after Tingstrom defeat at Nordic Darts Masters

Reigning champion Stephen Bunting crashed out of the Nordic Darts Masters on Friday, following a shock 6-5 defeat by Viktor Tingstrom.

The Bullet, who triumphed in Copenhagen 12 months ago, was aiming to become the first player to successfully defend the title in the Danish capital.

Despite falling 3-1 behind, Bunting hit checked out 140 and 119 as he reeled off four straight legs to stand on the brink of a quarter-final place at 5-3 up.

However, the defending champion was pegged back to 5-5, and then missed seven match darts as his checkout success plummeted to a measly 16.67%.

Tingstrom held his nerve to eventually pin double six and become only the third Nordic and Baltic representative to win a match in this event.

“I’ve had some good memories in darts, but I don’t think anything can beat this at the moment,” the Swede said. “To be the third Nordic and Baltic player ever through in this tournament, happy days!

“I just came here trying to enjoy it. I don’t put too much pressure on myself. I don’t have any pressure on me.”

Gerwyn Price narrowly avoided a first-round exit of his own, surviving match dart in a high-quality clash with Darius Labanauskas.

The 2024 champion took out 85 and 120 on the way to a 3-1 lead, but was pegged back to 3-3 by the Lithuanian, who was seeking his first ever win in five appearances at the event.

A combined four ton-plus finishes in as many legs followed; Price’s 156 and 128 cancelled out by his opponent’s 112 and 130 on the bull.

Labanauskas had the opportunity to break his duck, but wired double 16, and a relieved Price nailed double 10 to scrape through.

There were no such problems for Luke Humphries, who averaged just under 110 and recorded a 67% checkout success on the way to a 6-3 victory over the in-form Jeffrey de Graaf.

“I felt good there,” the world number two said. “The last four to five weeks, I’ve felt a lot more comfortable in my throw, and I feel like I can play this level a lot more often.

“It just gives you confidence. I’ve had so many 100+ averages, so many good performances, and my doubles have been better.

“One thing that I’m probably guilty of is not winning many World Series events in my career. I’ve played in about 20 or 30, and won two.

“You know that you normally have to beat three, really, really tough players to go on and win the title, but if I keep playing that, then I’m going to stand a good chance.”

Jonny Clayton also produced an impressive display, averaging just under 105 and checking out 121 in a 6-0 whitewash of Andreas Harryson.

Luke Littler hit finishes of 129, 114 and 99 in a 6-1 rout of Cor Dekker, while a 120 checkout was the highlight for James Wade, as he defeated Madars Razma by the same scoreline.

Michael van Gerwen, champion in 2021, marked his return to Copenhagen with a top checkout of 117 in his 6-2 win over Oskar Lukasiak, while a superb 167 finish completed Gian van Veen’s 6-3 victory against Daniel Larsson.

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Nordic Darts Masters 2026 Results

Friday June 5

Round One

6pm-10pm
Jonny Clayton 6-0 Andreas Harrysson
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Stephen Bunting 5-6 Viktor Tingstrom
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Oskar Lukasiak
James Wade 6-1 Madars Razma
Luke Littler 6-1 Cor Dekker
Luke Humphries 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
Gian van Veen 6-3 Daniel Larsson