SEIGO ASADA came back from 2-0 down to defeat Krzysztof Ratajski 3-2 in round one of the 2018/19 William Hill World Darts Championship.
Japanese World Cup quarter-finalist Asada was making his second Alexandra Palace appearance and soon found himself two sets down to Polish number one Ratajski.
A winner of three ProTour events in 2018, Ratajski appeared to be cruising into the second round before Asada won the deciding leg in set three to get a foothold in the contest.
From there, the Asian Tour number two grew in confidence and took the next set 3-1 to take the match all the way.
Asada took a 2-1 lead in the fifth set, with all legs on throw before an 11-dart break of throw won the game for Asada, who will now face James Wade in round two.
Match Stats
Averages:
Ratajski - 90.2
Asada - 90.64
180s:
Ratajski - 2
Asada - 2
Highest Finish:
Ratajski - 110
Asada - 121
100+ Checkouts:
Ratajski - 2
Asada - 1
Finishing:
Ratajski - 10/35
Asada - 12/27
