Brilliant Beau Greaves secures debut Women’s World Matchplay title
Beau Greaves coasted to Women’s World Matchplay glory with a 6-1 rout of Mikuru Suzuki in the final in Blackpool on Sunday.
Greaves dropped just four legs in her three commanding wins to scoop the £10,000 top prize at the Winter Gardens.
The 19-year-old has shattered a host of records on the PDC Women’s Series circuit during the last year, and she reaffirmed her status as the premier player in women’s darts at the Empress Ballroom.
Greaves and Suzuki came into the event as the top two seeds and renewed their rivalry on one of the sport’s most iconic stages in a fitting finale to the second staging of the event.
Suzuki was punished for a bizarre miscount in the opening leg of the final as Greaves capitalised to seize the initiative, firing in five perfect darts to break throw in leg two.
The 19-year-old continued her barrage of big scoring by firing in a second 180 en route to a 3-0 lead, before exploiting further misses from Suzuki in leg four to continue the procession.
Greaves missed the bull for a spectacular 161 checkout before moving to the cusp of victory, although Suzuki avoided the whitewash by surviving two match darts in leg six.
However, the Doncaster darter soon quashed any hopes of a miraculous fightback, defying back-to-back 140s from Suzuki to secure victory with a 74 finish on tops.
“I wasn’t at my best, but I got over the line, so I’m really happy,” said Greaves, who has now sealed her qualification for this year’s Grand Slam and the 2023/24 PDC World Championship.
“I didn’t think I was going to win this with the way I was playing, but after the year I’ve had and all the tournaments I’ve won, I’m so grateful to be stood here holding this trophy.
“I’m so excited to be going to the Grand Slam and the World Championship, but I need to practice more! I need to get more comfortable on the big stage.
“It means everything [to win this title]. I’ve got so much respect for all of the ladies that have played up here, and I’m looking forward to another great year.”
Greaves kicked off her campaign with a 4-0 whitewash of Dutch debutant Noa-Lynn van Leuven – who became the first trans woman to compete in a PDC televised event.
Greaves then recovered from a sluggish start to defeat Ireland’s Robyn Byrne in an entertaining semi-final, producing a brilliant three-leg burst from 3-2 down to confirm her progress.
The teenage star followed up a 14-dart leveller in leg six with a crucial 101 checkout to break Byrne, before firing in an unconventional 13-dart hold via double one to complete the comeback.
Two-time Lakeside Women’s Champion Suzuki fell just short in her bid for glory, despite claiming the scalps of last year’s runner-up Aileen de Graaf and Lancashire veteran Lisa Ashton on her Blackpool bow.
Suzuki enjoyed a dream start in her quarter-final win over De Graaf, converting 67% of her attempts at double and registering a 92.16 average – the highest in Women’s World Matchplay history.
The Japanese star then fended off a spirited fightback from four-time Women’s World Champion Ashton to run out a 5-3 winner in a gruelling semi-final contest.
Suzuki raced 3-0 ahead before Ashton reduced the deficit to 4-3, although the second seed regained her poise in the closing stages, firing in a magical maximum to seal the deal.
Earlier in the afternoon, reigning champion Fallon Sherrock was beaten by Ashton in a dramatic quarter-final, despite producing a 12-dart skin-saver in leg six to force a last-leg shoot-out.
Byrne also won through a deciding-leg tie against Rhian O’Sullivan in the last eight, defying eight 140s from the two-time Lakeside runner-up to triumph with a terrific two-dart 95 checkout.
Women’s World Matchplay 2023 Results
Sunday July 23
Quarter-Finals
Beau Greaves 4-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Robyn Byrne 4-3 Rhian O’Sullivan
Mikuru Suzuki 4-2 Aileen de Graaf
Fallon Sherrock 3-4 Lisa Ashton
Semi-Finals
Beau Greaves 5-3 Robyn Byrne
Mikuru Suzuki 5-3 Lisa Ashton
Final
Beau Greaves 6-1 Mikuru Suzuki
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