Stephen Bunting breaks his silence after uncomfortable exchange with Jermaine Wattimena at Belgian Open

Stephen Bunting has broken his silence after an uncomfortable exchange with Jermaine Wattimena following his victory in the second round of the Belgian Open.

Bunting found himself 3-0 down to the Dutchman on Saturday but found his form and claimed a 6-3 victory to progress to the round of 16.

'The Bullet' hit a double 20 to secure the victory, which came after a difficult start to the 2025 Premier League campaign.

But after the win, Bunting's handshake offer to Wattimena appeared to be snubbed at first and when the two did shake hands, he looked visibly frustrated and appeared to wag his finger before walking off.

Bunting looked surprised by Wattimena's antics, which Viaplay commentator Jacques Nieuwlaat suggested could have been in relation to the pace at which he played at on the oche.

Full incident between Jermaine wattimena and Stephen bunting pic.twitter.com/gCHYptsVHA

— james Connor (@jamesconnor536) March 8, 2025

Bunting was then asked about the frosty moment in an emotional on-stage interview, saying: "He was telling me that I'd done something wrong. I've got a lot of respect for Jermaine and I didn't expect that at the end of the game. I tried my best to win and I thought it was just a normal game.

"He picked up on something. I don't know what it was but I'll have a word with him backstage. There was no malice in my game. You've known me for many years and I'm not that sort of player to play mind games on people."

On Sunday, Bunting took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to compose his first post since the situation with Wattimena. But instead of referencing it, he simply promoted his next game and how to watch it - as well as thanking the support of his fans and sponsors.

"Last 16 of the Belgium Darts Open this afternoon, I play Daryl Gurney at around 2:30pm local time (1:30pm GMT)," he wrote.

"#LetsGoBuntingMental Great support from a fantastic crowd yesterday. Really appreciate all your messages, best fans in darts."

One of the most popular players in darts at present, Bunting is currently ranked No.6 in the world and won his World Series of Darts title earlier this year when he went all the way in the Bahrain Darts Masters.