Beau Greaves hailed her landmark Players Championship triumph as one of the best achievements of her career, after creating another slice of history in Milton Keynes on Monday. Greaves became the first woman to win a PDC ranking title following a pulsating 8-7 victory over 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith in Monday’s Players Championship Eleven […]
Beau Greaves hailed her landmark Players Championship triumph as one of the best achievements of her career, after creating another slice of history in Milton Keynes on Monday.
Greaves became the first woman to win a PDC ranking title following a pulsating 8-7 victory over 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith in Monday’s Players Championship Eleven showpiece at Arena MK.
The 22-year-old produced a hat-trick of ton-plus checkouts to stun Smith, following up a 121 combination with a brilliant 170 and a sensational match-winning 142 outshot in the decider.
“I honestly cannot believe I took out that 142,” admitted an emotional Greaves, who currently occupies fifth spot on the 2026 Players Championship rankings.
“I don’t know whether I just thought about being the first woman to win a [ProTour] title but it caught up with me.
“I had a good run at the last few ProTour events. I felt like I hadn’t played well, but I was getting results.
“I played really well. I’m so so happy. I cannot even describe the way I feel.
“I’ve won on the Development Tour, Challenge Tour, Women’s Series, and now to win this is unbelievable.
“I feel so proud of myself because I was really struggling at the start of the year. I never ever thought I’d win one of these!”
Greaves was magnificent from start to finish in Milton Keynes, averaging 98.13 across the tournament and defeating a trio of World Champions to cap off a historic campaign.
The World Youth Championship runner-up kicked off Monday’s action by defying a ton-plus average from Aden Kirk with a 6-4 win, before sealing victory against Thomas Lovely by the same scoreline.
Greaves averaged north of 97 in her next two victories, defeating Jeffrey Sparidaans and Czech number one Karel Sedlacek to reach a third consecutive Players Championship quarter-final.
The Doncaster trailblazer then edged past a revitalised Rob Cross in a terrific last eight showdown, averaging 102.56 to Cross’ 105.96 while surviving a match dart in the decider.
Greaves also dispatched two-time World Champion Gary Anderson in a remarkable semi-final, averaging 105.56 and reeling off seven consecutive legs prior to her decisive victory over Smith.
“To compete against these players – I beat Gary Anderson, I’m in disbelief,” added Greaves, who converted 130 and 149 checkouts in dumping out the Scottish icon.
“I was enjoying every minute of it and I was playing really well, so that’s probably been the main factor.
“I am beating players that I’ve watched growing up. It’s just amazing, and I’m really proud to win one of these titles.”
Greaves has made a seamless adaptation to life as a PDC Tour Card Holder, and Monday’s breakthrough win takes her to within £4,000 of the provisional qualification spots for October’s World Grand Prix.
The two-time Women’s World Matchplay champion has also landed a brace of nine-darters in 2026 – the most recent of those coming on the Winmau Development Tour on Friday.
However, the young superstar hopes her latest exploits can provide the catalyst for further success on the big stage over the coming months.
“I’ve done really well on all the other tours,” continued Greaves, a winner of 53 Women’s Series titles since 2022.
“I know I’ve got the talent, but believing in yourself and having the confidence is another thing.
“Aside from winning the Lakeside, this is probably my best achievement ever.
“Hopefully I can kick on and keep doing it on the TV, but I’m absolutely chuffed!”