Beau Greaves continued to carve her name into darts history on Friday night in Prague, becoming the inaugural woman to secure a win on the Professional Darts Corporation’s European Tour. Her 6-4 triumph over Daryl Gurney not only marked a personal breakthrough but also set up a second‑round encounter with world number two Luke Humphries at the Czech Darts Open. The 22‑year‑old Englishwoman demonstrated remarkable resilience, clawing back from a 3-1 deficit to turn the match around.
After the comeback, she will face Humphries in the last‑32 on Saturday evening, with the victor slated to meet either Nathan Aspinall or Andrew Gilding in the third round on Sunday afternoon. Greaves’ ascent has been rapid and historic: earlier this year she became the first woman to hit a nine‑dart finish on the PDC Pro Tour, doing so against Mensur Suljovic in February. She then captured her first PDC ranking title by edging Michael Smith 8-7 at Players Championship 11, another first for a female competitor. Her trailblazing journey did not start at the Czech event.
Greaves was also the first woman to qualify for a European Tour tournament when she reached the Hungarian Darts Trophy last month. Although she fell to Rob Cross in the opening round in Budapest despite an impressive 104 average, the Prague victory extends her run and underscores her growing confidence on the big stage.
In the match against Gurney, Greaves sealed the win with a decisive double one, a moment that echoed her earlier narrow 3-2 loss to the same opponent in the first round of the 2026 World Championship. Reflecting on the experience, she said, "It feels amazing. It's just so nice to win a game, I was so nervous at the start, I don't know why. It took me so long to get settled.
It means loads to me, the crowd's fantastic. It's such a tight stage and you feel so much from the crowd. I'm really enjoying it and loving the experience." The Yorkshire native displayed tenacity after an early two‑leg setback, responding with three consecutive legs of 14, 13 and 11 darts each.
Gurney had earlier produced a 144 checkout, the same finish that had helped him defeat Greaves at Alexandra Palace late in the previous year. Greaves’ ability to recover from that pressure situation highlighted her mental fortitude and growing match‑play maturity. Looking ahead to her clash with Humphries, a player she previously met at the 2025 UK Open, Greaves remained pragmatic: "I've played Luke on the big stage before so I know what to expect, he's world class so I'm going to have to play a lot better than I did tonight. What more do you want than on a Euro Tour to play one of the best players in the world?
I'll look forward to it and I'll be ready." The evening’s action featured other notable storylines. Niko Springer posted a 102 average while dispatching Martin Homola 6-0, earning a second‑round meeting with world number one Luke Littler. Springer commented, "I have nothing to lose to be honest. I'm feeling very confident.
Of course it will be hard, but it's best of 11, so let's go, I'm ready." Several big‑name seeds stumbled early. Joe Cullen, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Rob Cross were all eliminated by Stephen Burton, Mario Vandenbogaerde and Keane Barry respectively, underscoring the depth of competition on the tour. Luke Humphries, who, like Littler, received a bye into the second round as one of the 16 seeded players, entered the tournament as the defending champion, having won the Czech Darts Open in both 2023 and 2024. He defeated Kim Huybrechts 8-1 in the 2024 final and overcame Josh Rock 8-5 the previous year.
Known as "Cool Hand," Humphries is targeting a fourth title in five years at this venue, having also beaten Rob Cross 8-5 in the 2022 final. Other seeded contenders include Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price, who are scheduled to face Mario Vandenbogaerde and Callan Rydz respectively on Saturday night in Prague. The tournament’s schedule lists an afternoon session at 12:00 BST followed by an evening session at 18:00 BST, both on Friday and Saturday.
Beyond the Czech Open, Sky Sports remains the primary broadcaster for darts, covering the World Grand Prix (28 September–4 October), the Grand Slam of Darts (14–22 November) and the World Darts Championship (10 December–3 January). Fans can also stream live darts and related content through the NOW platform without a long‑term contract, ensuring broader access to the sport’s biggest moments.
Greaves’ breakthrough at the Czech Darts Open not only adds another chapter to her rapidly expanding résumé but also signals a shift in the sport’s landscape, where female players are increasingly challenging traditional boundaries and competing toe‑to‑toe with the world’s elite. As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on her next match, where she will have the opportunity to further cement her status as a pioneering force in professional darts.