Sophie McKinlay took down Lerena Rietbergen to continue what has been a dream run on the Lakeside stage this week and she will play in two finals on Sunday. A double World title bid sees her aim to win the girls and women's.
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A landmark WDF World Championship debut and one that nearly fell away against Rietbergen but she sensed the nerves of the Dutchwoman and quelled her own doubts to win through.
"The first set I was a bit upset with myself that I was missing chances so the when I took the second set and I came off for the break, I was having a word with myself and thinking just take your chances Sophie and when I won the next set 3-0, I was happy, I was like comfortable and I felt confident. A few missed chances but then I think she maybe got a little nervous and I was just trying to use every emotion to my benefit basically," said McKinlay to Tungsten Tales for WDF.
Playing in two finals on Sunday, McKinlay spoke after beating Rietbergen with a girls final against Paige Pauling confirmed also soon after and after stating she dreamed of winning a leg, it has exceeded her own wildest dreams.
"It's a dream come true, obviously since I was a little girl I dreamed of playing at Lakeside. When I saw I was drawn against Lisa (Ashton), I thought it was a tough first round but to make it to the final it's way past anything I could've dreamed of."
She was full of praise for Greaves prior to it being confirmed that it was McKinlay v Greaves in said final and she joked that she might need to hit 180's every throw to get near her.
"Beau is possibly the greatest women's darts player of all time in my opinion. Growing up in the youth circuit with Beau, she's a lovely person and the things that she's achieved. I don't think anyone else will reach her level but if I do half as what she's done, I'll be proud of myself."
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"I think I'll just need to hit 180's every throw," she joked. "Hit doubles first dart and that's what I think I need to do to beat Beau."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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