"I don’t think it’s far away" - Stephen Bunting eyeing up maiden TV ranking major in European Championship

The European Championship is set to commence tonight, with world number four Stephen Bunting last on stage in the first session of round one action in Dortmund. The former World Masters champion is eyeing this event up as a golden opportunity to double his major tally.

Bunting finally clinched his first European Tour title earlier this year in the International Darts Open, defeating Luke Humphries in the semi-finals before getting the better of the inform Nathan Aspinall 8-5 to finally taste glory in Europe. He followed this up with another title near the end of the year in the Swiss Darts Trophy, defeating Luke Woodhouse 8-3 to double his European Tour tally.

These performances have lofted him to third in the European Tour order of merit, only behind Aspinall and Martin Schindler. His form has caught the eye of many this year, as he looks to prolong it with a plethora of huge tournaments on the horizon.

While Bunting has been knocking on the door for a major title, he has been unable to get over the line with Luke Littler and Humphries sweeping up the majority of the big titles. The Bullet started the year by reaching the semi-finals of the World Championships before succumbing to Littler, before reaching the quarter-finals of the World Masters and World Matchplay. After a disappointing showing at the World Grand Prix, Bunting is looking to get back on track with a deep run at the Westfalenhalle.

“I know I haven’t won a TV ranking major in the PDC, but I don’t think it’s far away,” Bunting said. "I think I’m playing some fantastic darts, but sometimes to win these titles you need a little bit of luck at key moments."

Bunting has exclaimed his excitement to play in Dortmund once again, as he looks to vastly improve on his previous form in this competition. “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going in as the number three seed and I can’t wait to play in front of the German crowd," he said. "Dortmund is always a great place to play, and hopefully I can produce my best form and go on to win it.”

After reaching the quarter-finals in his debut back in 2014, he has failed to get past round two in the following eight events he played in. However, he is in much better form to end this dismal streak in the European Championship. He will face fellow Premier League star Chris Dobey in his opening tie, which could prove to be a cracking match.