Stephen Bunting closed the US Darts Masters first round with a clean 6-2 win over Alex Spellman, booking a Madison Square Garden quarter-final against defending champion Luke Humphries.
The result completed the opening-night bracket in New York, with Bunting joining Humphries, Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price, James Wade, Gian van Veen, Jonny Clayton and Jim Long in the last eight. The PDC’s day-one running order placed Bunting and Spellman in the final first-round tie, after Humphries had beaten Leonard Gates 6-1 earlier in the session.
It gives Bunting an immediate step up in class on Friday night. Humphries arrived in New York as the reigning US Darts Masters champion, and his opening scoreline suggests he has wasted little time finding the pace of the stage again.
Bunting handed Humphries test in New York
Bunting’s win also ensured all four quarter-finals now carry a clear ranking or narrative edge. Littler faces Long after the Canadian’s upset of Josh Rock, Price meets Wade, Humphries takes on Bunting, and Van Veen faces Clayton.
For Bunting, the route is brutally direct. Spellman represented a dangerous North American opener, but Humphries is the kind of opponent who quickly exposes missed doubles and loose scoring visits.
Friday’s format only sharpens that pressure. The quarter-finals remain best of 11 legs, before the semi-finals move to best of 13 and the final to best of 15.
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For more New York context, read NineDartNews on Luke Humphries’ US Darts Masters opener and Bunting’s first-round assignment.
