Rampant Ratajski claims Gibraltar Darts Trophy glory
Ratajski becomes the first Polish player to lift a Euro Tour title (credit:PDC)
Krzysztof Ratajski claimed his first European Tour title in supreme fashion at the 2019 Gibraltar Trophy by thrashing nine-dart hero Dave Chisnall 8-2 in the final.
Ratajski maintained his 100 per cent record in PDC ranking finals as he reeled off eight consecutive legs to storm to the £25,000 top prize at the Victoria Stadium on Sunday.
The Polish ace, twice a winner on the ProTour in 2019, continued his ground-breaking year, climbing to a career-high 23rd on the PDC Order of Merit and defeating four of this season’s Euro Tour event winners on finals day in Gibraltar.
“It’s incredible, I still don’t believe it,” said Ratajski. “I’ve won floor tournaments but this is the first one I’ve won in front of a crowd.”
Ratajski began the day with a 6-3 win over European Matchplay champion Joe Cullen before dispatching second seed Ian White by the same scoreline.
The 42-year-old then registered a blistering 109.5 average in powering past Players Champion Daryl Gurney 7-3 in the Semi-Finals with seven doubles from 12 attempts to boot.
Chisnall was riding high after landing a roof-raising nine-dart finish in his Quarter-Final win over James Wade earlier in the evening, before going on to edge out UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall in a last-leg decider.
The Danish Open champion began the final brightly by establishing a 2-0 lead with checkouts of 81 and 117, but they would prove to be his last meaningful contributions to the contest.
Ratajski got off and running in style with a 124 checkout before finishing 63 and double four to turn the tables and move in front.
He then picked out double 12 and followed in with back-to-back 81 checkouts to make it 6-2 and leave ‘Chizzy’ shell-shocked.
Chisnall squandered three darts at doubles in leg nine as Ratajski took out 74 to continue the procession, and he sealed the deal at the first time of asking on tops.
Chisnall admitted: “Krzysztof played very well all day like I did but tonight the better player won. Darts is all on the day but it wasn’t my day today, he played very well.”
Aspinall was appearing in his first European Tour Semi-Final after dethroning defending champion Michael van Gerwen 6-3 in the Last 16 and going on to see off Peter Wright by the same scoreline.
Glen Durrant was thrashed 6-1 by Gurney in the Last 16, while World Matchplay champion Rob Cross was edged out in a deciding leg by Gerwyn Price.
With the Gibraltar Trophy bringing the curtain down on the 2019 European Tour campaign, the top 32 players on the European Order of Merit have confirmed the field for October’s European Championship in Gottingen, Germany.
Gibraltar Darts Trophy 2019 Results
Sunday September 29
Third Round
Afternoon Session
Michael van Gerwen 3-6 Nathan Aspinall
Peter Wright 6-3 Mensur Suljovic
James Wade 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Ian White 6-4 Michael Smith
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Joe Cullen
Daryl Gurney 6-1 Glen Durrant
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Rob Cross
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Peter Wright
James Wade 4-6 Dave Chisnall – *Chisnall hits a nine-darter*
Ian White 3-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Semi-Finals
Nathan Aspinall 6-7 Dave Chisnall
Krzysztof Ratajski 7-3 Daryl Gurney
Final
Krzysztof Ratajski 8-2 Dave Chisnall
