“Creating some space for new talents... that’s blocked right now” – Could Beau Greaves’ focus on the men’s game help or harm women’s darts?

Beau Greaves’ record third Women’s World Matchplay title was followed by the clearest indication yet that her future lies increasingly away from the circuit she has dominated. After edging Fallon Sherrock 6-5 at the Winter Gardens, the 22-year-old declared that her “main goal is the men’s side”.

Greaves has won 11 of the opening 16 Women’s Series events in 2026 and leads the Order of Merit with £29,700, more than double the £12,550 collected by second-placed Lisa Ashton. Her record now stands at 57 Women’s Series titles, with a 114-match unbeaten run and 17 consecutive tournament victories among the streaks behind that total.

The alternative challenge is already producing historic results. Greaves became the first woman to win a PDC ranking title at Players Championship 11, the first to throw a nine-darter on the ProTour and the first to qualify for the European Tour. After PC26, she sits seventh on the Players Championship Order of Merit with £60,250.

On the latest DartsNews Podcast, co-hosts Kieran Wood and Nic Gayer agreed that Greaves is ready to prioritise the open PDC circuit. Her departure would remove the highest standard from women’s darts, but it would also transform tournaments in which much of the field currently begins with only a remote chance of winning.

Greaves spoke openly to DartsNews and others after her Blackpool victory about the changing targets behind her career. “It’s tough really,” she said. “I think I’ve tried to just focus on the men’s side, on my Tour Card. I think after the last Women’s Series, I felt a bit deflated after it. I didn’t really enjoy it too much. I just felt a bit like everybody wanted me to lose, so coming out of there I was like, ‘Maybe I should just focus on playing better darts and more competitive darts and my ranking’, just give me something to work towards."

“I think the ladies’ game gets a bit stale for everybody because you’re working towards this target and once you’re there, there’s nothing else to go towards," she continued. “After the last one I was just thinking, ‘I think now I’ll concentrate on the ProTour and the Euro Tour that I’ve qualified for’, just try and do that. I still love that side of the game, but now I think my main goal is the men’s side and enjoying that part of it and the challenges that come with it.”

Only a couple of years ago, Greaves required convincing to return to the PDC World Championship. She eventually did so in December and took sixth seed Daryl Gurney into a deciding set, having outscored him in the averages, maximums and legs won.

Her first Tour Card season has since carried her far beyond merely competing. At Players Championship 11, Greaves defeated former world champions Rob Cross and Gary Anderson before beating Michael Smith 8-7 with a 142 checkout in the deciding leg. She has also qualified for the Hungarian Darts Trophy and Czech Darts Open.

“I would answer that with a yes,” Gayer said when asked whether Greaves should leave the women’s game behind. “Darts moves so quickly, everything can change so quickly and so much of the sport is about momentum. I think these last couple of weeks and months, or her first months on tour, have proven to everyone what we already pretty much knew: she is absolutely good enough and capable of winning titles on the men’s tour. She is absolutely capable of making the top 32 and keeping her Tour Card. I think that is what it’s all about for her, so I would say taking that step would be absolutely the right decision."

“I would also add that, right now, you get the feeling she wants to take that step. I think something has shifted a bit in her mind. If you go back one or two years, people had to convince her to go to Ally Pally. Now she is thinking about completely leaving everything else behind and focusing entirely on the PDC Tour," added the German analyst. “She is a young woman. She has probably developed and learned some new things, and I think she is ready to go. I love seeing that mindset shift, so it’s a yes from my side.”

Wood agreed that Greaves had reached the stage at which the open circuit should command her attention, before turning the Hotseat towards the consequences for women’s darts.

“I completely agree with what you said,” he replied. “It might sound like a big statement, but I think she is too good for the women’s game now. There is too much of a gap between her and the rest."

“Just as a follow-up question, do you think the Women’s Series and the Women’s World Matchplay will be better or worse without Beau Greaves?" Wood then asked his co-host. "The quality is going to drop, but it will obviously become much more competitive and many more players will have a chance of winning.”

Gayer compared the dilemma with the debate surrounding Luke Littler’s dominance of the men’s game, but reached a different conclusion. “It’s funny because we pretty much have the same discussion about the men’s game,” he answered. “There is obviously no scenario in which Luke Littler walks away, but we always discuss whether darts would be better without him because it would be more competitive, or whether he is so good for the game that it is better with him."

“In this case, I would give a different answer. I think it could actually be good for the women’s game because the women’s game within the PDC is still at such a young stage. Creating some space for new talents and new players to really grasp the opportunity and make a name for themselves would be good," he continued. “That space is blocked right now by Beau, which absolutely should not sound negative because she is amazing, but I think you know what I mean. Her opening up that space could actually be good for the women’s game.”

The five Women’s Series events Greaves has not won in 2026 have produced four different champions. Ashton won Events Five and 15, Deta Hedman claimed Event 11, Vicky Pruim took Event 12 and Eleanor Cairns emerged victorious at Event 16.

Hedman previously summed up the scale of Greaves’ dominance by suggesting the rest of the field were effectively playing for second place whenever she entered. She also admitted being grateful that Greaves chose Alexandra Palace over defending her Lakeside title in 2025, doubting whether she would otherwise have become WDF world champion.

Greaves did not cruise to her third Women’s World Matchplay title. Gemma Hayter pushed her to a deciding leg in the semi-finals, where the defending champion survived with a 104 checkout to complete a 5-4 victory.

Sherrock then forced another decider in the final, following an 11-darter with a 70 checkout to level at 5-5. Greaves responded with a 180 and left 56 after scoring 145 on her next visit, before returning to seal the title on double 10. Her average of 88.63 narrowly eclipsed Sherrock’s 87.84.

Those contests offered a reminder of the quality beneath Greaves, but also of the level required to threaten her. Hayter and Sherrock both took her to the brink; neither could finish the job.

Greaves would leave women’s darts without its outstanding player and biggest current attraction. Her victories over Michael Smith, Gary Anderson and Rob Cross, alongside a ProTour nine-darter, European Tour qualifications and her World Championship performance against Daryl Gurney, have taken her profile far beyond the Women’s Series.

Yet the trophies she collects there have increasingly become expected. Her opponents can approach matches with almost nothing to lose, while Greaves receives considerably more attention for a rare defeat than another tournament victory.

That imbalance was evident in Blackpool when Greaves admitted feeling as though “everybody wanted me to lose”. The Women’s Series continues to provide titles, but the ProTour now offers the targets, pressure and room for progression she is searching for.

The Women’s World Matchplay was preceded at the Winter Gardens by the JDC Girls Series final between Rebecca Allen and Macy Gibbons. Both 17-year-olds averaged just below 80 as Allen completed a 5-4 victory. The Irish teenager qualified after winning two events during the Girls Series season, while Gibbons topped the overall standings.

“At the Winter Gardens, there was also a JDC Girls Series final before the Women’s World Matchplay,” Wood said. “Rebecca Allen won that and I think she averaged around 80, even though she is literally a young teenager. That is a good sign for the future, isn’t it?”

“One hundred per cent, absolutely,” Gayer replied. “What Beau Greaves has done for the women’s game cannot be appreciated enough, and I think we will still be talking about it in 10, 20 or 30 years. I have absolute respect for her, but I think it would be good for both her and the women’s game if she takes that step. It is a win-win in my opinion.”

Greaves has already shown the emerging generation that the Women’s Series does not have to represent the ceiling. Tour Cards, European Tours and ranking titles against former world champions have all become part of the path she has opened.

Greaves has not formally withdrawn from the Women’s Series and continues to speak warmly about her place within it. “I play darts for enjoyment but now it’s my job, but I love the game,” she said after winning in Blackpool. “I cannot get enough of it, and to be able to support the ladies’ game is a massive thing. I want to play even better. I win tournaments on the floor, but I think my stage game has got to improve and I know that.”

Prioritising the ProTour and European Tour may therefore mean reducing her Women’s Series schedule rather than abandoning it completely.

Eight Women’s Series events remain in 2026, beginning with the next four-event block in Leicester on 22 and 23 August. Greaves’ presence or absence there will offer the first indication of how far her priorities have shifted since Blackpool.