Ratajski shines to win Players Championship 9 – “Now this win is a big step to get back towards the top 16 of the ProTour”

Krzysztof Ratajski won his tenth PDC title with an 8-1 thrashing of Chris Landman in the Players Championship Nine final in Wigan on Saturday.

Ratajski, who finished second at Players Championship Eight earlier this month, defeated the Dutchman in a one-sided final to win his first PDC ranking title since November 2021.

The Polish number one has enjoyed a welcome return to form in 2023, claiming the £12,000 winner’s cheque with a string of consistent performances at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.

Ratajski, on the other hand, saved his most dominant performance for Saturday’s showpiece, converting two ton-plus checkouts in the first three legs of his match against Landman.

Ratajski took the first blood with a 116 finish, then converted a clinical 124 combination to go up 3-0 before reeling off back-to-back legs in 13 and 14 darts to go up 5-0.

Landman broke through in a scrappy sixth leg, but Ratajski quickly returned to form, winning the next three legs to claim his seventh Players Championship title.

“It feels incredible. It has felt like three years without a title,” joked Ratajski, who was beaten by a resurgent Gary Anderson in last month’s Players Championship Eight decider.

“I am playing well. I am working hard at home and I feel comfortable.

“Last year wasn’t a good year for me. I fell out of the top 16 of the ProTour [Order of Merit] so now I’m having to work very hard to play on the European Tour, because I must play [qualifying events].

“It is very difficult, but I am playing in the next three European Tour events, and now this win is a big step to get back towards the top 16 of the ProTour.

“I think everyone has a bad period, even players in the top four and top ten. It is normal. You must wait, you must be patient and work hard.”

 

Ratajski began his campaign in Wigan on Saturday with victories over Matt Campbell and Darius Labanauskas before posting his lone ton-plus average of the day in a 6-2 thrashing of Croatia’s Boris Krcmar.

The former World Matchplay semi-finalist advanced with a convincing win over second seed Dave Chisnall, followed by his first career victory over Josh Rock in the last eight.

This set up a semi-final clash with an in-form Jonny Clayton, and Ratajski was forced to survive four match darts in the latter stages of his encounter with the Premier League star.

The Pole swept aside Landman to add to his title tally, but it was a historic day for the Dutchman, who claimed a slew of big scalps on his way to his first PDC ranking final.

Landman, a PDPA Associate Member who topped the field due to the absence of Tour Card Holders such as World Champion Michael Smith, followed up early victories over Ron Meulenkamp and Mickey Mansell by dumping out top seed Luke Humphries.

He kept his momentum going with a resounding 6-1 victory over Belgian star Mike De Decker, before surviving a slew of match darts against Martin Schindler, coming back from 5-2 down to win.

Landman’s fairy-tale run continued with a semi-final victory over Brendan Dolan, who advanced to the final four after edging out James Wade in a decider after a ton-plus average against Connor Scutt.

Clayton, who had come through last-leg shoot-outs against Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Berry van Peer earlier in the day, also exited in the semi-finals.

The Welshman also defeated Ricardo Pietreczko and Keane Barry, finishing with a nine-dart finish after missing double 12 for a nine-dart finish, before a 108 average in the quarter-finals ended Anderson’s bid for back-to-back ProTour titles.

Despite this, Anderson maintained his excellent 2023 form in Wigan, whitewashing Dimitri Van den Bergh, averaging 109 to demolish Chris Dobey, and then dumping out Dirk van Duijvenbode in a last-leg thriller.

The veteran Scot was eliminated in the quarter-finals alongside Wade, Schindler, and World Youth Champion Rock, who won a whitewash over Ryan Searle after a pair of ton-plus averages.

 

2023 Players Championship 9

Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan

Saturday April 15

Last 16

Chris Landman 6-1 Mike De Decker

Martin Schindler 6-3 Joe Cullen

Brendan Dolan 6-1 Connor Scutt

James Wade 6-1 Daryl Gurney

Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Dave Chisnall

Josh Rock 6-0 Ryan Searle

Gary Anderson 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Jonny Clayton 6-4 Keane Barry

 

Quarter-Finals

Chris Landman 6-5 Martin Schindler

Brendan Dolan 6-5 James Wade

Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4 Josh Rock

Jonny Clayton 6-1 Gary Anderson

 

Semi-Finals

Chris Landman 7-5 Brendan Dolan

Krzysztof Ratajski 7-6 Jonny Clayton

 

Final

Krzysztof Ratajski 8-1 Chris Landman