Women's World Matchplay draw: Greaves, Sherrock and defending champion Ashton find out their fate in Blackpool

The draw for the fifth edition Women's World Matchplay has been released following the confirmed lineup. The tournament will be hosted on Sunday 26th July with the winner receiving £15,000.

Lisa Ashton is the defending champion and will be hoping her return to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool is another triumphant one. She stunned two-time winner Beau Greaves enroute to lifting the title, defeating Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in the final.

Both Greaves and Sherrock return as part of a star-studded lineup who will battle for one of the most coveted prizes in women's darts.

The field is consisted of the top eight players from the 12-month rolling Women’s Series rankings since last July. There is little surprise that the winning machine Greaves tops that by some margin. She heads to Blackpool as the number one seed. However, she is not the reigning champion.

Ashton produced the good last year in a marvellous title triumph. The Lancashire darter returns with one aim: to retain that title. She is the second seed for this event and will start her title defence against Irishwoman Rhian O'Sullivan who is making her third appearance in the showpiece event.

As for Greaves, she wants revenge. The 2023 and 2024 champion has grown into the dominant force on the Women's Series, amassing a number of titles with some delightful darts, winning 114 consecutive matches on the Women's Series between April 2025 and March 2026. She will be very much motivated to regain her title, and in a noticeable fashion.

Now a fully-fledged member of the PDC Tour with a Players Championship title under her belt, she is the favourite for glory. It is an ominous test for the number eight seed Kirsi Viinikainen who succumbed to defeat this stage last year to 'Beau 'n' Arrow' but will hope her fortunes change this time around.

Sherrock has a very promising record at the Winter Gardens. She won the inaugural event back in 2022 before an exit in the quarter-final was a bitter disappointment. Two final defeats on the spin have left her motivated and hungry to go one step further.

She has been drawn against debutant Deta Hedman. The WDF world champion clinched a second Women's Series title last month which was enough to see her get the chance to compete at the Winter Gardens as she continues to grow her vast darting CV.

Gemma Hayter also returns to the action. Her task is another debutant in the form of Sweden's Vicky Pruim. A possible semi-final clash against Greaves could be their reward.

On top of the £15,000, raised from £10,000, that could be won, the champion will also secure a spot in the 2026 Grand Slam of Darts. A tantalising prospect for the person who takes advantage. The format is best of nine legs for the quarter-final and semi-final, with the final going up to best of 11.