In a landmark achievement for women's darts, Beau Greaves has become the first female player to win a match on the European Tour. The 22-year-old from Doncaster made history during the Czech Open, where she triumphed over Daryl Gurney with a score of 6-4.
This victory comes on the heels of Greaves’ debut on the European Tour, where she faced Rob Cross in Hungary and narrowly lost 6-5. Facing Gurney, who had previously defeated her in a closely contested match at the PDC World Championship last December, Greaves was determined to turn the tables.
In Prague, Gurney initially took control of the match, racing to a 3-1 lead. However, Greaves showcased her resilience by reeling off three consecutive legs, achieving impressive finishes of 14, 13, and 11 darts, which allowed her to seize a 4-3 advantage. Although Gurney managed to level the match at 4-4, Greaves maintained her composure and secured the final two legs to clinch the historic win.
"It feels amazing," Greaves expressed after her victory. "It's just so nice to win a game; I was so nervous at the start, I don’t know why. It took me so long to get settled, but luckily I did enough to win the game." She further emphasized the importance of the crowd's support, saying, "The crowd's fantastic. It's such a tight stage and you feel so much from the crowd. I’m really enjoying it and loving the experience."
This victory adds to Greaves' impressive list of accomplishments in the sport. Earlier this year, she became the first woman to win a PDC ranking title when she defeated Michael Smith in April. Additionally, she made headlines as the first female player to achieve a nine-dart finish on the PDC ProTour, a feat she accomplished against Mensur Suljovic in February.
Greaves' recent successes include winning the Women’s World Matchplay for the third time in July, further solidifying her status as a leading figure in women's darts. As she prepares to face world number two Luke Humphries in the second round of the Czech Open, Greaves acknowledges the challenge ahead. "I’ve played Luke on the big stage before so I know what to expect; he’s world class, so I’m going to have to play a lot better than I did tonight," she stated. "What more do you want than on a Euro Tour to play one of the best players in the world? I’ll look forward to it and I’ll be ready."
Leave a Comment