Making his debut at the World Darts Championships, Kenyan David Munyua made a statement by beating Mike de Decker to claim the world title yesterday.
The unranked Munyua was too good for Belgium international Decker who is rated number 18 in the world held at the at Alexandra Palace.
The vetinary officer missed darts to win the second set, did the same in the third but eventually won it, edged the fourth and fought back to win the match in the fifth.
The 30-year-old, who qualified via the African Darts Group Qualifier, was broken in the first leg of the decider but produced an astounding outer bull-treble 20-bullseye 135 finish to level it, before holding his nerve to complete victory.
The defeat continued De Decker’s disappointing record at the World Championship, with the 2024 World Grand Prix winner yet to make it past the last 64 at six appearances at Alexandra Palace.
Another debutant, Japan’s Motomu Sakai, looked to have stolen the show earlier in the afternoon session as he beat Thibault Tricole of France in straight sets.
Sakai gained the support of the Alexandra Palace crowd with a long, exuberant walk-on and was a showman who played up to the fans throughout his match.