"She's brilliant isn't she? Going to be massive for the sport": Gary Anderson in awe of 'by far the best female player' Beau Greaves

Two-time world champion Gary Anderson rolled back the years at the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts, producing a vintage performance to edge out Beau Greaves in one of the matches of the tournament — and he was full of praise for the female sensation afterwards.

Anderson, who prevailed 5–4 in a thriller, admitted he had to “pull out every stop in the bag” to beat the 20-year-old from Doncaster, describing Greaves as a player who will “cause so much trouble next year on the circuit”.

“She’s brilliant, isn’t she? Absolutely,” Anderson said post match. “I’ve pulled out just about every stop I’ve had in the bag tonight to win that game — and she’s good. She’s going to cause so much trouble next year on the circuit. She’s fantastic, yeah.”
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The Scot, never one to lavish praise lightly, went further — declaring Greaves already the best female player the sport has seen. “Oh yeah, by far,” he said. “Until somebody else comes along, but yeah, I’d say that. I know Fallon’s a great player, and Lisa too, but Beau’s a wee bit different.”

Despite losing both of her opening group matches, Greaves has turned heads in Wolverhampton, averaging over a ton in defeats to both Anderson and Michael van Gerwen. Anderson, who has spent much of the past year juggling exhibitions with a part-time competitive schedule, said the pressure was on him to deliver against such a confident opponent. “I had to try and sleep last night with the pressure that was on me,” he laughed. “It starts all right, but then I start dropping — that’s when I’m in trouble. When they start dropping below the treble 20, that’s panic stations!”

Anderson will now face van Gerwen in what he called the “El Clasico” of darts — but even as he looks ahead to that clash, the respect for Greaves’ composure and quality was clear. “She had chances. I mean, Michael gave her a chance last night, didn’t she?” he said. “That’s 5–4, 5–4 she’s lost. She could easily have won both 5–4 either way. She’s there — you can see it.”

Greaves’ consistent scoring and calm finishing have continued to blur the lines between the women’s and men’s games, something Anderson clearly relishes. “Yeah, cracking game,” he smiled. “I watched Beau the night before against Michael — 140, 140, 180, just brilliant to see. The amount of youngsters playing darts now, I tell you what, in the next five years, I don’t think there’ll be one player dominating darts. These youngsters are something else, honestly. They’re as sharp as a knife.”

Anderson sealed victory with a 103 checkout, narrowly avoiding more late drama. “Was she on a finish? I can’t remember — 161?” he joked. “Well, if I’d missed, she’d probably have taken it out, to be honest. That’s my kind of luck! But yeah, double 16 went in for once when I needed it.”

Even with his trademark humour, the 53-year-old admitted the encounter had left his heart racing. “Because I’m bloody old — and that’s killed me!” he laughed. “My heart up there, I could have had a wee seizure. It was pounding and everything. But yeah, I play darts because I like playing darts. Sometimes they go great, sometimes they really don’t.”

Anderson’s admiration for Greaves summed up the feeling shared by fans and fellow professionals — that the reigning Women’s World Champion is not just holding her own, but elevating the game itself.

“She’s there,” he said again, shaking his head in appreciation. “She could’ve won both of those matches. She’s going to be massive for the sport.”

As for Anderson, his journey in Wolverhampton continues with a showdown against Michael van Gerwen, but even in victory, the story of the night belonged as much to Beau Greaves — the player forcing legends to dig deep and daring to redefine what’s possible on the oche.