Stephen Bunting vs Tytus Kanik Tips

Bunting has vaulted back into form??'winning multiple World Series events and averaging high, beating local favorite Ratajski 6??'1. Kanik has experience but can’t match Bunting’s elite stage composure. I foresee a controlled 6??'3 or 6??'2 win for Bunting.

Stephen Bunting is ranked higher than Tytus Kanik and leads their head-to-head 2-0. However, he comes into the match on the back of two consecutive defeats. In his most recent outing, Bunting lost 6-4 to J. Brandon in the round of 16 at the US Darts Masters, despite being the strong favorite. Meanwhile, Kanik's last two victories have come against superior opponents, Mickey Mansell and Mensur Suljovic, which suggests he’s capable of causing an upset.

While Bunting can hit many 180s, the expected short length of the match (e.g., 6-0 or 6-1) means there will be fewer legs played overall. This limits the total opportunities for 180s, even for a high scorer like Bunting.

Would rate Bunting for the most maximums given he has been relatively strong at scoring in recent months. Kanik hasn't been hitting the maximums as often as he might like, in my opinion.

Kanik can win this on the handicap. Bunting has been disappointing on the whole this season, and I think this looks like a game he could struggle over the line. Tytus could be underestimated here.

Given Bunting's dominant recent form and the significant gap in skill level, he is expected to win by a wide margin. A scoreline such as 6-0 or 6-1 is highly probable in a best-of-11 format, comfortably covering the 4.5-leg handicap.