A potentially close encounter was anything but as he punished Whitlock's missed doubles and now a big chance awaits for either him or Gabriel Clemens who face off in the Last 16.
While admitting neither him or Whitlock played well, the time away over Christmas paid off.
"Of course, I am really happy to be in the last 16 for the first time at the World Championship," said Ratajski.
"I practiced for many hours over Christmas in the hotel to be ready for the rest of the tournament.
"This match wasn't good, we both played poor but a win is a win. It doesn't matter what you average, I've lost plenty of matches with 100-plus averages."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙀𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝
Krzysztof Ratajski beats Simon Whitlock in straight sets to reach the Fourth Round...
Whitlock just couldn't get going as Ratajski hit the right shots at the right time to clinch a 4-0 victory!