Kenya’s David Munyua produced one of the biggest surprises of the PDC World Darts Championship so far, rallying from two sets down to defeat world number 18 Mike de Decker in a gripping finale to Thursday afternoon’s session at Alexandra Palace.
On his tournament debut, Munyua had shown promise early on, but an upset seemed remote when the Belgian edged to within a set of victory. However, the Kenyan refused to fold. Despite missing darts to take the second set and again faltering in the third, the 30-year-old eventually turned the tide, claiming the third, narrowly taking the fourth and then holding his nerve to win the deciding set.
Munyua, who works professionally as a veterinarian and qualified through the African Darts Group Qualifier, was broken in the opening leg of the final set. He responded in remarkable fashion, checking out a sensational 135 finish via outer bull, treble 20 and bullseye to level matters, before sealing a memorable victory.
Speaking on stage afterwards, Munyua described the win as “amazing”, calling it a landmark moment not just for himself, but for Kenyan and African darts as a whole. Former BDO world champion Mark Webster echoed that sentiment on Sky Sports, saying the match embodied the spirit of the World Championship, delivering drama throughout and underlining the sport’s growing global reach.
For De Decker, the defeat extended a frustrating run at Alexandra Palace. Despite winning the 2024 World Grand Prix, the Belgian has still not progressed beyond the last 64 in six World Championship appearances.
Earlier in the afternoon, another debutant caught the eye as Japan’s Motomu Sakai swept past France’s Thibault Tricole in straight sets. Sakai quickly won over the crowd with an energetic walk-on and an entertaining, crowd-pleasing performance.
Elsewhere, world number 24 Ryan Joyce impressed in a comfortable straight-sets victory over fellow Englishman Owen Bates, averaging just over 95 and converting nine of his 14 attempts at doubles. Callan Rydz also enjoyed a routine afternoon, dropping only three legs as he eased past Hungary’s Patrik Kovacs 3-0.
Attention then turned to the evening session, where Fallon Sherrock, the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship, was due to face former semi-finalist Dave Chisnall. Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen was also set to begin his campaign against Japan’s Mitsuhiko Tatsunami.
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