Beau Greaves has become the first woman to win a PDC ranking title, defeating former world champion Michael Smith 8-7 in the final of Players Championship 11 in Milton Keynes. The 22-year-old sealed victory in the deciding leg with a 142 checkout, hitting double 11 to cap a stunning performance.
Greaves also produced a spectacular 170 checkout in leg nine, finishing with an 80% checkout success rate and an average of 96.49. Her run to the final included victories over two more ex-world champions: Rob Cross (6-5 in the quarter-finals) and Gary Anderson (7-1 in the semi-finals).
"I've had a great year, but I never thought I'd win one of these, never ever," said Greaves. "Today I played really well. I'm so happy, I can't even describe the way I feel. I feel so proud of myself. I beat Gary Anderson - I can't believe it. Even beating Michael - I'm beating players I watched growing up. Hopefully I can kick on and keep doing it."
The victory adds to Greaves' remarkable achievements, including a 114-match winning run in the PDC Women's Series and becoming the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish on the PDC ProTour. Elsewhere in the tournament, world number two Luke Humphries exited in the third round 6-5 to Max Hopp, while Premier League Darts players Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock fell in the first round. The event did not feature world champion Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price, or Nathan Aspinall.
There are 34 Players Championship events across the year, with the finals held in Minehead, Somerset from 26-30 November, featuring the 64 best-performing players. Greaves currently sits fifth in the Players Championship order of merit after her win on Monday.
