Beau Greaves Triumphs in Women’s Matchplay

Beau Greaves has announced she will not compete in the PDC World Championship after successfully defending her Women’s World Matchplay title. The 20-year-old dart player triumphed over Fallon Sherrock with a score of 6-3 in the final at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens. Although Greaves was initially tied 2-2 with Sherrock, she surged ahead averaging 98.75 and breaking Sherrock’s throw four times to secure victory. Winning the Women’s World Matchplay not only earned Greaves a place in the PDC Grand Slam of Darts but also in the World Championship.

However, she has opted to forgo the World Championship in December, choosing instead to focus on defending her WDF Women’s World Championship title. Greaves has expressed skepticism about women competing against top male players, stating, “Men’s and ladies darts should be separate. I don’t think any lady will ever go to Ally Pally and win that. If you think that, you’re being silly.”

In addition, Greaves reflected on her previous experience at the 2023 PDC World Championship where she was eliminated in the first round by William O’Connor. She expressed doubts about competing against elite male players like Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler. She emphasized that the women’s game holds more significance for her.

Throughout the tournament, Greaves started strongly with a 4-1 win over Katie Sheldon in the quarter-finals. Subsequently, she overcame Mikuru Suzuki 5-2 in the semi-finals, needing seven match darts to secure her place in the final. On the other hand, Sherrock, the 2022 champion advanced through the quarter-finals and semi-finals despite struggling with doubles and missing seven match darts in her narrow 5-4 victory over Lisa Ashton.

Overall, Greaves’ decision underscores her commitment to the women’s game and highlights the ongoing debate about gender dynamics in darts. Furthermore, in the men’s event, Luke Humphries claimed the £200,000 prize by defeating Michael van Gerwen.

Women’s World Matchplay Results:

Quarter-finals:
– Beau Greaves 4-1 Katie Sheldon
– Mikuru Suzuki 4-2 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
– Fallon Sherrock 4-0 Anastasia Dobromyslova
– Lisa Ashton 4-1 Rhian O’Sullivan

Semi-finals:
– Beau Greaves 5-2 Mikuru Suzuki
– Fallon Sherrock 5-4 Lisa Ashton

Final:
– Beau Greaves 6-3 Fallon Sherrock