Defending champion falls in Copenhagen
Viktor Tingstrom produced the first proper jolt of the 2026 Nordic Darts Masters by knocking out reigning champion Stephen Bunting in a last-leg upset at Forum Copenhagen.
The Swedish representative beat Bunting 6-5 on Friday night in the opening round of the Mr Vegas Nordic Darts Masters, the third World Series of Darts event of the season. It was not just the scoreline that will sting for Bunting. The Englishman had fought his way into a winning position, only to see the match slip away after seven missed match darts.
Bunting, who lifted this title in Copenhagen last year, trailed 3-1 before taking out 140 and 119 during a run of four straight legs. At 5-3 up, the defence of his crown looked to be moving towards a quarter-final with Michael van Gerwen. Instead, Tingstrom dragged the contest back to 5-5 and eventually pinned double six to complete one of the best wins of his career.
Speaking after the match, Tingstrom summed up the scale of the moment. “I’ve had some good memories in darts, but I don’t think anything can beat this at the moment,” he said, according to Sky Sports.
Tingstrom earns Van Gerwen showdown
The result makes Tingstrom only the third Nordic and Baltic representative to win a match in this event since its launch in 2021, a detail that gives the upset more weight than a routine first-round shock.
World Series nights can sometimes be judged harshly when regional players are drawn against the sport’s biggest names, but this was a reminder of why the format still has teeth. Bunting had the chances to close it out, yet Tingstrom stayed close enough to make every miss matter.
“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,” Tingstrom added. That mindset will be tested quickly, because his reward is a Saturday quarter-final against Van Gerwen, the 2021 Nordic Darts Masters champion, who beat Oskar Lukasiak 6-2 in his own opener.
LiveDarts reported that Bunting’s checkout rate fell to 16.67 per cent, which tells the story as bluntly as any highlight reel could. The Bullet created the winning line, but could not cross it.
Humphries sets the standard as Littler advances
Elsewhere in Copenhagen, Luke Humphries delivered the performance of the night in pure numbers, averaging 109.92 in a 6-3 win over Jeffrey de Graaf. “I felt good there. 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,” Humphries said.
Luke Littler also moved through comfortably against Cor Dekker, while James Wade marked his return to the World Series stage with a heavy win over Madars Razma. Jonny Clayton whitewashed Andreas Harrysson with a 104.86 average, and Gerwyn Price survived a match dart before edging Darius Labanauskas 6-5 in a high-quality contest packed with ton-plus finishes.
Gian van Veen completed the quarter-final line-up with a 6-3 win over Daniel Larsson, sealing victory with a 167 checkout. The PDC’s confirmed field had promised a strong Copenhagen line-up, but Tingstrom’s upset has given finals night a sharper edge.
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