The fourth edition of the Women’s World Matchplay is set to take centre stage in Blackpool on the afternoon of Sunday 27th July, as the PDC’s top eight ranked female players battle it out at the iconic Winter Gardens.
The stakes are high, with the winner earning a coveted spot in both the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts and the 2026 PDC World Championship. Fallon Sherrock, the original Queen of the Palace, claimed the inaugural title in 2022.
But since then, the spotlight has belonged to Beau Greaves. The Doncaster sensation is chasing a third consecutive Matchplay crown, and short of time freezing or an alien invasion (preferably one that hates darts), she already has her World Championship spot sewn up. Whether she decides to use it is another question entirely.
Greaves enters as the runaway leader on the PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit, and top seed in Blackpool. Her first opponent? Finland’s Kirsi Viinikainen. It’s fair to say if you want to win this tournament, you’ll probably have to beat Beau at some point – Kirsi will be hoping to get it out of the way early. Still, unless Beau is dramatically off her game, expect her to finish off the Finn.
Lisa Ashton, the four-time BDO World Champion and former PDC Tour Card holder, meets Irish rising star Robyn Byrne. The Lancashire Rose has never lost an opening-round Matchplay tie – but equally, has never won the next one. Byrne reached the 2023 semi-finals before falling to Greaves. This could be the tightest contest of the day.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven returns for a third appearance, still chasing a first win on the Blackpool stage. The Dutch thrower faces Lorraine Winstanley, a semi-finalist in the inaugural 2022 edition.
Rounding out the draw, Fallon Sherrock takes on debutant Gemma Hayter. After nearly a decade away from the sport, Hayter’s resurgence has been remarkable, and earning her place in Blackpool is a major milestone. Facing Sherrock in your first Matchplay appearance? No better way to arrive.
Quarter-Final Draw
Beau Greaves v Kirsi Viinikainen
Lisa Ashton v Robyn Byrne
Noa-Lynn van Leuven v Lorraine Winstanley
Fallon Sherrock v Gemma Hayter
——ENDS—-
Images: PDC
