Boris Krcmar crushes Bunting's hopes before Damon Heta edges Clemens as 2024 World Series of Darts Finals opens in Amsterdam

Boris Krcmar and Damon Heta have qualified for the next round of the 2024 World Series of Darts Finals by defeating Stephen Bunting and Gabriel Clemens, respectively, in the first round.

Bunting and Krcmar both started their match cautiously and each managed to keep their own leg, making the score 1-1 after two legs. In the third leg, however, 'The Bullet' was able to regain his lead with a finish on Tops, bringing him to 2-1.

The fourth leg brought the first break of the match. Krcmar missed double 18 for a 116 final, after which Bunting threw a 76 final to put the score at 3-1. However, Krcmar recovered with a nifty 12-darter, bringing the difference back to 3-2. Both players continued to take each other's legs. Bunting increased his lead to 4-2 with an 18-darter, but Krcmar closed the gap to 4-3 with an 86 finish on the bullseye. In leg 8, Krcmar finally managed to cash in on his break and equalize with a 15-darter, bringing the score back to 4-4.

The last two legs were also won by the Croatian. With a 16-darter and an impressive 12-darter, including an 84-finish on the bull, Krcmar pulled off the match and qualified for the last sixteen via a 6-4 victory.

Damon Heta will also make his appearance in the last sixteen on Saturday night. 'The Heat' managed to win 6-5 over German Gabriel Clemens in an exciting first round. In the first three legs, Heta showed his strong form by winning them in 14, 17 and 11 arrows, remaining flawless on the doubles and notching an average of over 106. Clemens finally got on the scoreboard in leg 4 with an 80-finish, bringing the score to 3-1.

Heta extended his lead to 4-1 with an 18-darter, but Clemens did not give in. The German fought back handsomely with a 78 finish and a 96 finish, making the score 4-3 again. Clemens then evened the score with a 16-darter. Both players then maintained their own legs, resulting in an all-deciding final leg to determine who advanced to the last sixteen. In that decisive leg, Damon Heta eventually prevailed. He threw a 180 at a crucial moment, missed two matchdarts, but finally managed to secure the 6-5 victory via double 16.