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By Brian Barry
Last updated: 27/12/20 3:28 p.m.
Van den Bergh was very impressive
Krzysztof Ratajski, Ryan Searle and Dimitri Van den Bergh advanced to the last 16 of the World Darts Championship after an impressive win on Sunday afternoon.
After the Christmas break, 32 players stayed in the hunt for the Sid Waddell Cup. That number dropped to 29, after Ratajski, Searle and Van den Bergh defeated Simon Whitlock, Kim Huybrechts and Jermaine Wattimena respectively.
Third round results on Sunday afternoon
| Krzysztof Ratajski 4-0 Simon Whitlock |
| Kim Huybrechts 2-4 Ryan Searle |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh 4-0 Jermaine Wattimena |
Three more will advance in the afternoon session, with a star-studded team including ruling champions Peter Wright and Michael 1 Gerwen, world 1.
Sunday afternoon nightline!
| Joe Cullen vs. Jonny Clayton |
| Peter Wright vs. Gabriel Clemens |
| Michael van Gerwen vs Ricky Evans |
Live World Darts Competition
December 27, 2020, 6:00 pm
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Dimitri dances to the fourth round
The World Matchplay champion is all around his business in the top half of the draw, moving through the rounds with very little emotion. In this form, it looks like a real competitor.
The ninth seed, Belgian star Jermaine Wattimena blew away to set a date with Dave Chisnall or Danny Noppert in the last 16.
The 26-year-old took the spoils in a topsy-turvy opening set, in which only one leg was thrown. From there, however, he found his groove and had too much firepower for ‘The Machine Gun’, storming into a 3-0 lead.
He gathered speed as the finish line came into view, winning the final set without dropping a leg.
The Dream-Maker finished with an average of 97.33, hitting 12/26 on doubles. Crucially, it seems to have a few more gears.
Polish eagle rising in the last 16
Kyzystof Ratajski started slowly, but he had more than enough for Simon Whitlock when he emerged to a 4-0 victory.
Is this the week that Krzysztof Ratajski finally delivers at a major televised event? The Polish Eagle is widely regarded as one of the strongest players on the Pro Tour, but so far his ability to achieve on the big stage has failed.
That could change.
The 15th seed entered a two-set early lead against Simon Whitlock, without hitting the top spot. The Australian had an uphill job, knowing his opponent was working far from his best.
Whitlock erroneously missed the outer ring, offering Ratajski a way back to legs he shouldn’t have won.
The Warsaw woman was just too happy to accept him, taking advantage while not firing on all the cylinders.
Finally, the 2010 runner ran into gear in the third set, taking the verse to a decisive foot. However, a heavy scoring when he came in from Ratajski laid the foundations for a crucial grip of a throw to take a 3-0 lead, after Whitlock missed a D20 for the Shanghai finish.
It seemed to have broken the Australian struggle. Ratajski scored an early foot against the darts in the fourth set. However, the former Premier League star dug deep and made a decision, throwing a peg one set back.
But as a symbol of the whole match, Whitlock put his lines on the finish line, and the Polish star happily cleaned up D4 to set a fourth round date with Peter Wright or Gabriel Clemens.
0:37 Ratajski showed an impressive 4-0 victory
Six out of 29 doubles told the sad story for Whitlock, who has an impressive 2020 ending on a painful note.
Searle seeks a safe passage through
It could be said that Kim Huybrechts is the player of the tournament coming into the third round, having won a three-figure average in winners over Di Zhuang and Ian White.
But it was Ryan Searle who hit the ground running, as the average Hurricane was under 80 in the opening set. ‘Heavy Metal’ showed his intent from the early stages, going for the bull for 170 shots when his opponent wasn’t ready.
The Englishman went into a 1-0 lead, under minimal pressure. From there, the two players picked up the tempo, and Huybrechts finally settled, winning three quick legs in the second set to level it at one apiece.
However, the pendulum turned again, and Searle turned off five unanswered legs to take control of the game. He moved into a 3-1 climb after Huybrechts failed in the leg despite firing on D12 for a nine-darter.
1:39 Eight hits lost at Huybrechts’ double cost in the fourth set
Smaller players may have been telling lies after such harassment, but Huybrechts kicked straight back to win the fifth set. The Belgian star then looked ready to take it all the way to a decision, throwing first at 2-2 in the sixth set. However, he missed two blows at the top, and Searle took advantage of his seal’s 4-2 victory.
Cover from Alexandra Palace continues daily until Sunday, January 3. You won’t miss a single arrow by tapping into our dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel!