Stephen Bunting turned his Premier League form around in stunning fashion to claim victory in Berlin after Luke Littler crashed out early.
Bunting had failed to win a match in the first eight rounds of the series but he saw off Nathan Aspinall to break his duck then eased to victory over Luke Humphries before defeating Gerwyn Price 6-5 in the final.
Littler still has a comfortable lead in the table but this was an off night for the teenager, who struggled to land doubles and fell 6-2 to Chris Dobey in his opening match.
BUNTING WINS NIGHT NINE! 🏆
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 3, 2025
Stephen Bunting was winless for eight weeks, but has now won three games on the spin and beats Gerwyn Price in a last-leg decider to secure his first nightly win!
📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8 #PLDarts pic.twitter.com/SCpvlRHLE7
Humphries beat Rob Cross but was out of sorts in a 6-2 loss to Bunting, while Michael van Gerwen did not even take to the stage, the Dutchman withdrawing ahead of the event with a shoulder injury.
That gave Price a bye through to the semi-finals, where he dominated a 6-2 win over Dobey to earn himself a shot at a third nightly victory.
A tense final rarely hit the heights in terms of quality, with the first six legs all going against the darts before Bunting finally held with a 96 checkout.
It was advantage Price, though, when he broke the throw again to lead 5-4, and he had two match darts but missed them both, making clear his displeasure with noises from the crowd.
Chris Dobey stuns the Berlin crowd and beats Luke Littler 6-2 to set up a semi-final with Gerywn Price 😳
— BetMGM UK (@BetMGMUK) April 3, 2025
Incredible performance from Hollywood 👏#BetMGMDarts #PLDarts #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/dINF677aJB
Bunting made the Welshman pay by levelling the contest and then finished in style with a checkout of 107.
He told Sky Sports: “After the first win I was so relieved just to get off zero points. I’ve put a lot of work in behind the scenes, I’ve tried every week 110 per cent.
“Tonight, oh my God, I’ve won an event and I’m so happy. It’s such a special moment.
“There’s been times through the Premier League where I’ve thought, ‘Can I finish on zero points’? To get off the mark tonight and to win a night, such a special feeling.
“I know I’ve been playing well, I’ve just not got the result. Now this is going to give me huge confidence and I can’t wait to finish the campaign.”
Bunting remains bottom of the table despite the victory while Price is up to third as the series moves on to Manchester.
