Kim Huybrechts could not follow up his impressive performance against Ryan Searle at the European Championship. The 40-year-old Belgian lost 10-3 to Stephen Bunting in the second round on Saturday and was particularly disappointed with his own level afterwards. ‘The Hurricane’ felt he should have given his English opponent a much tougher game.

Huybrechts had pulled off a surprise on Thursday, beating Searle 6-1. The Belgian, who was added to the field at the last minute after Luke Humphries withdrew, made a strong impression in that match. Against Bunting, however, he could not reproduce that level.

The Englishman took full advantage of Huybrechts’s below-par scoring and made the difference on the doubles in particular. Bunting hit four finishes over 100 and gave his opponent little chance to get into the match.

Huybrechts admits shortcomings

Afterwards, Huybrechts largely blamed himself for the defeat. The Belgian did not feel he had been able to play his usual game, while Bunting was particularly clinical at the key moments.

“I didn’t feel that I was throwing well,” he told HLN.be. “It’s difficult to analyse it straight away. He (Stephen Bunting, ed.) took everything out. My scoring, on the other hand, wasn’t good enough. That sums up the match a bit.”

Kim Huybrechts could not build on his strong start at the European Championship

Bunting’s strong finishing put Huybrechts behind early on. The Belgian then failed to turn the match around.

“I was always playing catch-up. In darts, things don’t always go the way you want or the way you prepare for. A lot of other factors come into play on stage.”

Disappointment

Huybrechts was unhappy not only with his own performance, but also made a striking comment about his opponent’s level. While he accepts that Bunting is currently ahead of him, the Belgian believes he must be able to beat players like him in the future.

“Stephen is a good player, but he’s not world-class. I’m just below him, but in the coming years I need to beat this kind of opponent. It was far too easy a win for him, so I’m disappointed in myself.”