Beau Greaves Nearly Delivers Huge Upset Against Daryl Gurney at World Championship

Daryl Gurney survived a late scare from Beau Greaves to advance at the World Championship in a dramatic first-round clash at Alexandra Palace on Friday night. The 21-year-old Greaves, the women’s world No. 1, pushed the Northern Irishman to a deciding set before Gurney closed out a 3-2 victory.

Greaves, who has gained attention for competing in the men’s game, took the second set with a 10-dart leg to level the match after going 1-0 down. Gurney responded by taking the third set, before Greaves again equalized by winning the fourth to force a fifth and final set. The crowd heckled in spots, clearly hoping to see a memorable upset, but Gurney held his nerve to clinch the win after Greaves missed four match darts. After the match, he paid tribute to the 21-year-old, saying: "For me she is the best woman darts player on the planet. If there's going to be a (female) darts player who can win the World Championship or a major Championship, that's the player. Even from a man's point of view that woman has got some cojones. What a darts player, honestly what a darts player."

Greaves has long been viewed as a trailblazer for women in darts, and her showing at Ally Pally kept the spotlight on her bid to become the first woman to win at the venue since Fallon Sherrock six years ago. She had hoped to make that breakthrough as part of her ongoing push into the men’s game, a line she has defended in the past even as she has become the sport’s top female player. The mood around Greaves was one of cautious optimism as she bowed to the crowd and acknowledged the stand she has made for players who want to challenge traditional boundaries. She had previously suggested that men and women might compete separately, but tonight’s performance kept alive the possibility that top female players could mix it with the sport’s strongest men.

Greaves, who grew up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, became the youngest woman to compete at the World Championship when she was 18. Her profile surged in October when she beat Luke Littler to win the PDC World Youth Championship final; Littler had been widely regarded as the tournament’s favorite given his dominance in the youth ranks. The event is structured for players aged 16 to 24 and includes both sexes, a format that Greaves has embraced as part of her broader ambition to test herself against the sport’s best. In July 2024 she argued that men’s and women’s darts should be separate, saying she didn’t expect any woman to win Ally Pally and that the best men could be well out of reach: "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."

Greaves has previously declined to compete in the World Championship over fears she might not belong on the sport’s biggest stage, but her performance at the 2025 event should give her confidence that her time could come. Her presence at the World Championship continues to spark debate about the line between the men’s and women’s games, and Greaves’ continued ascent remains a focal point as she pursues cross-gender milestones while maintaining her status as the sport’s leading female player.