The Polish crowd favorite won 6-3 over former world champion Rob Cross in front of his own audience in the first round of the Poland Darts Masters. Ratajski broke Cross as early as the first leg and then ran out to a 5-1 lead.
However, Cross managed to undo one break and fought his way back to 5-3. The Englishman had to break Ratajski back once more, but failed to do so. In the ninth leg, Ratajski decided the match 6-3, making him the only Eastern European player to reach the quarterfinals in Warsaw.
In the final match of the first round, world champion Michael Smith proved too strong for Krzysztof Kciuk. The world number one recorded an average of only 86 but nevertheless pulled off a 6-1 win against Kciuk.
The World Series tournament will be broadcast by PDCTV and ITV4 delayed from 9pm. On Friday, the first round will be played from 18:00 to 23:00.
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The rest of the tournament will take place on Saturday from 18:00 to 23:00. Then the quarterfinals are scheduled first, followed by the semifinals and finals.
How much prize money is to be won?
The prize pool for this event contains a total of £60,000. However, the prize money won does not count toward the PDC Order of Merit or other money rankings.
All participants are guaranteed £1,250 in prize money. This amount could eventually rise to a sum of £20,000 in prize money for the winner.
What are the World Series of Darts?
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World Series tournaments are PDC international events organized to promote the sport beyond its (Western) European borders.
Earlier this year, tournaments also took place in Bahrain, Denmark and the United States, and after the tournament in Poland, tournaments in Australia and New Zealand will also be completed.
Past World Series tournaments have included Dubai, Singapore, Japan, Scotland, China, Germany and Austria.
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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RATAJSKI RAISES THE ROOF IN WARSAW! 🇵🇱
What a moment! 👏
Krzysztof Ratajski secures a historic victory on a landmark night for Polish darts, defeating Rob Cross 6-3 to seal his spot at Finals Day!
📺 bit.ly/2023PDMLive#PolandDarts | R1