Darts
Stephen Bunting breezes past Peter Wright to reach second career WDC semi-final
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Get to know Joe Lyons betterPublished01 Jan 2025
Stephen Bunting produced a stellar display to see off Peter Wright in Wednesday’s World Darts Championship quarter-final.
‘The Bullet’ is into his second world semi-final where he’ll face his toughest challenge yet – presumably Luke Littler if he can get past Nathan Aspinall.
Undoubtedly his toughest test of the tournament so far, facing the man who made light work of world number one Luke Humphries, Bunting took the challenge in his stride to win 5-2.
With an average of 95.55, the 39-year-old dominated affairs and finished up 16/37 (43%) on the outer ring with three ton-plus finishes to book his spot in the final four at Alexandra Palace.
Bunting broke his major duck earlier this year with triumph in the Masters and he climbed to eighth in the PDC Order of Merit with earnings of almost £500,000 in the past 48 months.
There could be mixed feelings on the result in the Bunting household, with Stephen telling Sky Sports after the game:
“In the back room I felt really nervous, on edge. Peter Wright is a massive fans’ favourite, a great mate of mine and he’s my son’s favourite player so I feel sorry for my son.
“I knew I was in control of the game but Peter was coming back into it. I just thought to myself, don’t let myself down, refocus like I’ve done. Each and every game I’ve focused on that one opponent.”
WATCH: Stephen Bunting beats Peter Wright to secure semi-final spot
Stephen Bunting is a 2025 Worlds semi-finalist 💪‼️ pic.twitter.com/e0w5jOUjv2
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) January 1, 2025
We’re going Bunting mental…but for how much longer?
We’re all expecting Bunting to face Littler in the next round, which will assumedly be a mountain to climb – but it’s one he’s summited before.
The pair have never met on the big stage, facing off just twice on the floor in Players Championship clashes with Bunting taking one 7-6 and Littler winning the other 8-7.
On the other side of the draw, Chris Dobey and Michael van Gerwen will lock horns for a spot in the final which takes place on Friday night.