Cross and Bunting knocked out of US Darts Masters

On the night of the US Darts Masters’ opening night in New York, reigning champion Rob Cross and top-seeded Stephen Bunting both suffered shocking defeats.

Danny Lauby, an American who had previously lost three times in the first round of the competition, defeated England’s Cross 6-0.

Bunting was able to get 170 checkouts, but Jason Brandon, an Australian qualifier, won 6-4 to advance to face Damon Heta, an Australian qualifier.

Luke Humphries, England’s world number one, defeated American Stowe Buntz 4-3 to win the final three legs, setting up a meeting with Lauby.

Nathan Aspinall, a fellow Englishman, will take his place in the title matchup in Las Vegas in 2019, who defeated Canadian No. 1 Matt Campbell 6-2.

Michael van Gerwen, the two-time champion, made his return to action after declaring last month that he and his wife Daphne had broken up with Leonard Gates.