Beau Greaves' remarkable victory over Luke Littler at the PDC World Youth Championships last October should have catapulted her to stardom. However, many media outlets reduced her achievement to her gender, with headlines like 'Littler beaten by a woman' and 'Littler suffers shock defeat in Battle of the Sexes'.

This focus on her gender raises questions about its impact on Greaves' long-term prospects in the sport. Sky Sports pundit and pro player Laura Turner notes that while publicity and role models are crucial, they should be based on the quality of play, not gender.

Turner reflects on the trailblazing exploits of players like Lisa Ashton, Fallon Sherrock, and Anastasia Dobromyslova, who paved the way for Greaves. Greaves has exploded onto the darts scene with three consecutive WDF World Darts Championships and two Women's World Matchplay titles.

Before Greaves, Ashton was the first woman to win a tour card at Q-School, while Sherrock was the first to win a match at the PDC World Darts Championship. Dobromyslova was the first woman to beat a male professional on TV in the Grand Slam of Darts.

Turner recalls that when these women were winning, the narrative was often 'wow, it's a woman playing darts against men'. However, she believes the narrative should shift to 'it's just a dart player playing against another dart player'. Greaves' win over Littler was a defining moment, and she has since replaced doubt with belief, earning her PDC ProTour card and becoming the first woman to hit a nine-darter on the tour. Greaves now has confidence in her ability to compete with the best and wants to help other women follow her lead.

The 'Battle of the Sexes' phrase has seen a resurgence in recent months, but Turner wants sports fans to focus on the quality of play, not gimmicks or novelty matches. In darts, women are competing on a level playing field, and Turner credits female players for coping with the pressure of being in the spotlight. Greaves has spoken openly about her struggles with dartitis, a psychological condition that can impact a player's performance.

Turner praises Greaves for remaining grounded and surrounded by her family network, which helps her deal with the pressure.