Female darts star Beau Greaves made history on Monday night as she became the first woman to win a men's PDC ranking event. The 22-year-old, who is the world No. 1 in the women's game, has been gaining traction in the sport over recent years for her incredible performances.
A Historic Run
Greaves has also competed in men's events and was involved in the Players Championship in Milton Keynes. The 22-year-old, who almost beat world No. 24 Daryl Gurney at the World Championship in December, went all the way to triumph. It was an incredible run that saw her beat three former world champions along the way.
In the quarter-final, Rob Cross fell by the wayside following a tense 6-5 win for Greaves. She then thrashed Gary Anderson 7-1 in the semi-final to become the first woman to ever reach the final.
Dramatic Final Victory
In a dramatic encounter against Michael Smith in the final, the contest ebbed and flowed until she checked out 142 to win 8-7 on legs and make history. Greaves was in shock after her triumph and could barely believe what she had achieved, before she took part in an emotional interview.
In the chat, Greaves broke down in tears and appeared to be lost for words when asked how she felt. 'I don't know,' she said. 'I went a few legs up and then I started thinking about it and it caught up with me and I don't know what I was thinking about. Honestly, I can't believe I took out that (142). I've had a great year, but I never thought I'd win one of these. Never, ever. I couldn't have dreamt that up. I'm so happy, I can't even describe the way I feel. It's unbelievable and I feel so proud of myself because I was struggling really badly at the start of the year.'
Greaves continued to appear in shock during the interview before she later added: 'It's just amazing. I just feel really proud of myself, I never thought I would win one. I don't know why I'm crying so much but now hopefully I can kick on and... yeah, just amazing.'
Rise to Prominence
Greaves has always been highly-rated after becoming the youngest woman to compete at the World Championship when she was 18, but she came further into the public consciousness last October when she beat Luke Littler to the PDC World Youth Championship final. Littler was unsurprisingly widely seen as the favourite for the tournament - which is made up of 16-to-24-year-old men and women - given his dominance at the sport's top table over recent years. But it was Greaves who caused a shock, and her win came just a year after the record-breaking star argued that it was 'silly' to suggest she could ever compete with the top male darts players.
Greaves, who grew up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, had said in July 2024: '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. I just don't think we will ever be good enough to play against the likes of Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen or Luke Littler.' She added: 'When I go to the Grand Slam I don't look forward to it because I know I have got to play men. I don't fancy my chances at all - I am just realistic.'
The 22-year-old has previously declined to compete in the World Championship over her self-confessed fears that she doesn't belong on the stage, but Monday's achievement should give her huge confidence.
