Kenyan debutant Munyua shocks De Decker at Worlds

At the PDC World Championship, Kenyan debutant David Munyua came from two sets down to defeat world number 18 Mike de Decker in a thrilling conclusion to Thursday’s afternoon session.

An upset appeared to be extremely unlikely for Munyua when the Belgian moved one set clear of victory at Alexandra Palace, despite the fact that Munyua had performed well on his first appearance there.

Munyua, a veterinarian, fought back to win the match in the fifth set after missing darts to win the second set.

The 30-year-old, who qualified via the African Darts Group Qualifier, was broken in the decider’s opening round but managed to score an incredible 20-bullseye 135 in the final round before holding his nerve to win.

Munyua described his victory as “amazing” in his on-stage interview following the game and said it was a “very big moment for the sport, for Africa, and for Kenya.”

Mark Webster, a former BDO world champion, said on Sky Sports, “This is what the World Championship is all about.” It had drama the entire time, not just the big averages, which are irrelevant.

“David gave a strong performance. It just confirms our commitment to global sports.

Motomu Sakai, a debutant from Japan, defeated Frenchman Thibault Tricole in straight sets to take the stage earlier in the afternoon session.

With a protracted, exuberant walk-on, Sakai won the support of the Alexandra Palace crowd, and he lived up to the fans’ expectations throughout his game.

World No. 24 Ryan Joyce, who topped Owen Bates, also put together a strong performance, hitting nine of his 14 double attempts while averaging 95.27.

results in the afternoon

Evening session (from 19: 00 GMT)