Beau Greaves nearly upsets Daryl Gurney at World Darts Championship

Beau Greaves, the 21-year-old world No. 1 in women's darts, nearly pulled off a major upset against Daryl Gurney at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on Friday night, pushing the Northern Irishman to a deciding fifth set before losing the match.

Greaves trailed after the opening set, then struck back in the second with a 10-dart leg to level. Gurney briefly pulled ahead in the third, but Greaves again forced a deciding fifth set.

Gurney afterward paid tribute to his opponent. "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." He added: "Even from a man's point of view that woman has got some cojones. What a darts player, honestly what a darts player." He also acknowledged the crowd’s heckling and said he tried to stay composed as Greaves pressed late, lifting the 21-year-old’s hand in the air after the match and bowing to her on the oche.

Greaves, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, has long been seen as a trailblazer in the sport. She became the youngest woman to compete at the World Championship when she was 18 and gained broader attention in October by beating Luke Littler to win the PDC World Youth Championship. She has previously voiced skepticism about cross-gender competition, saying in 2024 that men’s and women’s darts should be separate and that she did not expect to beat the sport’s top male players. The Friday night performance, however, underscored her rising profile as she contends with the men’s game on a big stage.

If Greaves had won, she would have become the first woman to win at Ally Pally since Fallon Sherrock did so six years earlier. While she fell short, the display at Alexandra Palace reinforced the broader narrative about the progression of women competing alongside men in darts and Greaves’ role as a potential major-title contender in the years to come.