Madars Razma survives early Van Duijvenbode onslaught to set up meeting with Stephen Bunting at the World Darts Championship

Madars Razma has set up a third round meeting with Stephen Bunting at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, surviving an early onslaught from Dirk van Duijvenbode to take a 3-1 victory over the Dutchman.

After the injury concerns of the last year, Van Duijvenbode came into this one battling illness. The Dutchman showed no ill-effects on his epic walk-on though, and once he got down to buisness things were very impressive from the 'Aubergenius'. Taking three straight legs, Van Duijvenbode raced through the opening set with a 112+ average, sealing it in style with a 147 checkout.

Van Duijvenbode made it four legs on the spin in the opening leg of set two and then kicked off the next leg with a maximum to pressure the Razma throw. In the end, that pressure told too as the Dutchman broke the Razma throw to move two legs up in the second set. Finally though, Razma stopped the rot in the next, surviving a missed set dart from Van Duijvenbode in the process. With Razma levelling up the set in the next leg, momentum seems to have shift to the Latvian. Checking out 65 in the next leg, Razma took the set to make it 1-1.

The momentum had completely spun in an instant and from average over 112 in the first set, Van Duijvenbode averaged only 78 in set 3, allowing the Latvian to take complete control of the match and move into a 2-1.

Razma had the chance to stamp further authority on proceedings in the opening leg of set 4, but failed to find a double in numerous attempts, allowing Van Duijvenbode to stop the rot and get himself a foothold back in the match. With the pair exchanging holds of throw in the following legs, trading blows for the first time in the match, the set went all the way to a decider. Van Duijvenbode had the darts, but he also had the pressure, knowing if he lost the leg he'd be going home. It was Razma who forged the first dart at double, missing double 16 for the match. Van Duijvenbode couldn't pin double 18 to save his skin though, and the Latvian punished to set up a meeting with Stephen Bunting.