3:36 p.m
Clayton stays tuned
Both throw another maximum in this leg, which Clayton can then play from the front. The Ferret faces Tops when Ratajski is still out of the finishing zone. With the first dart on tops, The Ferret reduced the lead to 1:2 with a 13-darter.
3:33 p.m
The Polish Eagle extends the lead
Both are on par but Ratajski gets to the finish area first and plays down from 146 to 28. Clayton only gets a finish, so that the Polish Eagle can safely take out double 14 with the first dart and increase it to 2-0.
15:29
Ratajski comes out of the break better
The Polish Eagle comes out of the break with his first maximum and enters the finish area first. He can’t take out 125 points, but has 32 remaining. Clayton can’t check 141, so Ratajski comes again and hits double 16 with the first dart for the next break.
15:27
The Ferret gets off to an impressive start
Clayton is off to a strong start, throwing three 140s and two 180s in four legs and averaging 102.10 points. Ratajski misses important darts on doubles in the third leg and therefore loses the first set, in which he averages 94.39 points. The highlight was Clayton’s 126 high finish to win the set.
15:26
126 finish to the set
The Ferret starts with his second 180 and is well on his way to becoming the first player in the match to complete his throw. After nine darts he is on 126 as Ratajski faces the big fish. However, he doesn’t get to do that anymore, Clayton checks the 126 nicely via triple 19, single 19 and the bullseye for the first set.
15:23
Third break in a row
Both score in lockstep but Ratajski sets himself up for a finish first. Clayton puts the pressure on with a 140 and Ratajski misses double 16 twice for a 52 finish after previously hitting single 20. Clayton takes 42 safely over single 10 and double 16 and leads again.
15:22
Ratajski hits back straight away
With a 171, Ratajski breaks away from Clayton’s throwing leg and faces Tops. The Ferret is still out of the finish area, but puts pressure on his first 180. The Polish Eagle doesn’t care, he checks double 20 with the second dart for a direct re-break.
15:17
The Ferret starts with a break
The Polish Eagle had won the bull and is starting. Clayton immediately attacks Ratajski’s throw and is left with 121 points after nine darts. The Welshman misses the high finish after S20, T17 on the bullseye, but the Pole also misses a dart on tops after S19, S14 for a 73 finish. Clayton confidently checks 25 via single 9 and double 8 for an early break.
15:12
Game On
This is also a game from the 3rd round and is played in best-of-7 mode. Ratajski and Clayton have taken the stage, it’s starting in a few minutes!
15:12
Krzysztof “The Polish Eagle” Ratajski
The Pole won a Pro Tour and a European Tour title in 2023. He never made it past the round of 16 in the majors. At the Grand Slam he survived the group with Nathan Girvan, James Wade and Michael Smith, but was then eliminated without a chance 5:10 against Josh Rock. At the Players Championship Finals he lost to Maik Kuivenhoven 4:6 in round 1. Last year the World Cup ended in the third round against Dimitri van den Bergh (1:4), this year it will go to the round of 16 again like in 2021, when it only ended in the quarterfinals against Stephen Bunting (3:5). The Polish Eagle had to work really hard against Jamie Hughes in round two. Three of the four sets went into the decider, in the end Ratajski won 3-1 with almost 90 points on average.
15:11
Jonny “The Ferret” Clayton
The Welshman won the World Cup of Darts for the second time in 2023 alongside Gerwyn Price and also won a Pro Tour and a European Tour title. In the World Matchplay final he lost to Nathan Aspinall and in the Premier League semi-final to Gerwyn Price. The 49-year-old recently had a bit of a crisis when he was eliminated in the first round of the World Grand Prix and the European Championships, did not make it past the group phase of the Grand Slam and had to give up in round two of the Players Championship Finals. In round two of the World Cup, Clayton wasn’t really able to convince, but turned around a set deficit and ultimately prevailed 3-1 against Steve Lennon with an 88 average. In order to reach the round of 16, which the Welshman has reached in the last two years, he will most likely need to improve his performance.
15:11
“The Ferret” meets “The Polish Eagle”
In the second duel of this afternoon session, Jonny Clayton and Krzysztof Ratajski meet. After an average year for his standards, Clayton is still in ninth place on the Order of Merit and meets the man from Poland on the 24th seed list. Who will be Rob Cross’s opponent in the round of 16?