PDC World Darts Championship Round-Up | Michael Smith and Chris Dobey dumped out as Stephen Bunting ends the Nitin Kumar fairytale with straight sets win

Stephen Bunting has set up a third round meeting with James Hurrell at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship on a dramatic Saturday night that saw former champion Michael Smith and former semi-finalist Chris Dobey depart.

The evening began with a major upset as Niels Zonneveld produced a composed, ice-cold display to defeat Michael Smith 3–1 in sets.

Zonneveld burst out of the blocks, trading 180s in a ferocious opening set before breaking Smith’s throw and riding that momentum to take the opener. Smith responded in style, roaring back with heavy scoring and a set average north of 100 to level the match, but crucial missed doubles from the former champion proved costly.

The turning point came late in the third set. With Smith missing a dart at tops, Zonneveld kept his nerve amid a hostile Ally Pally atmosphere to pin double 10 and move 2–1 ahead. From there, the Dutchman never blinked. Another missed opportunity from Smith opened the door, and Zonneveld slammed it shut with a nerveless 94 finish to complete one of the biggest wins of his career.

Next up, Andrew Gilding punished a catalogue of missed chances from Chris Dobey to claim a 3–1 victory that felt decisive long before the final dart was thrown.

Dobey edged a scrappy opening set, but once Gilding found his rhythm, the balance of the match shifted sharply. A burst of five straight legs swung the contest, highlighted by an ultra-efficient 10-dart leg to seize control at 2–1.

Dobey briefly threatened a comeback with a spectacular 167 checkout to open the fourth set, yet the damage had already been done. Missed set darts came back to haunt him, and Gilding calmly tidied up on double 10 before returning to double top to seal a deserved win, finishing with a near 99 average and total command of the key moments.

The session closed with Stephen Bunting bringing an end to Nitin Kumar’s memorable run, easing through to round three with a straight-sets victory that was as professional as it was efficient.

Bunting fed off a raucous Alexandra Palace crowd from the opening leg, racing through the first two sets without ever needing to hit top gear. Kumar briefly lifted the roof by landing his first leg of the match and drawing loud support from the stands, but Bunting responded immediately with a stunning 132 checkout on the bull to snuff out any momentum.

An 85 checkout and early 180 set the tone in the third, and Bunting never looked in danger as he wrapped up the match with minimal fuss, underlining his growing confidence as the tournament progresses.