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Beau Greaves pulled off a dramatic final-leg showdown to beat Luke Littler 6-5 in the semi-finals of the youth world title event held in Wigan.

Game Summary

Greaves, who has secured a professional tour spot for the upcoming seasons, went ahead early at 2-1 in the critical match. Littler responded with the next three games, following a recent victory in the World Grand Prix final where he defeated rival his main rival 6-1 in Leicester.

The talented athlete, a two-time women’s major event champion, mounted a comeback to tie the game at 4-4 and once more at 5-5, leading to a last-leg shootout. Greaves clinched victory with an impressive finish as Littler suffered a rare defeat despite a match average of 107.4, while Greaves recorded 105 points.

Second Semifinal

The defending champion Van Veen progressed from the other side of the knockout draw, beating Sebastian Bialecki 6-4. The final is set for November 23 at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, which will simultaneously stage the 2025 Players Championship Finals.

Player’s Packed Calendar

Rather than resting after what he called a “grueling” double-start event in Leicester, the young star was competing again at the Robin Park Leisure Centre on the next day as part of the large player pool.

The 18-year-old, who has claimed victory in the UK Open and major Matchplay event this season, easily progressed from the group phase, where players were divided into multiple groups and the leading pair advanced to the knockout rounds.

Path to the Semis

Littler overcame Tom Garfield 6-2 with an average of 102, then dispatched Ireland’s Ronan McDonagh 6-1 to enter the round of 16. His next rival, ranked fourth on the PDC Development Tour, was ahead 5-3 before the world No. 2 took the final three legs to progress.

The quarter-final against another opponent was less dramatic, as he capitalized on an early lead to claim a 6-1 victory. However, a much-anticipated repeat of the prior year’s final with Van Veen was denied by her outstanding display, making her the first woman to make the youth title decider.

Her Path to Victory

Greaves won her round-robin pool with a perfect record from three matches, then whitewashed Coby Jones-Swanson in her initial knockout round. The 21-year-old beat the Dutch player 6-2 in the round of 16, but faced a 4-2 deficit against Tyler Thorpe, winning four straight legs to move forward.

In her quarter-final, Greaves resisted a brief rally from the German competitor to win 6-2 and set up the blockbuster clash against the world champion. Both players might face off once more at the upcoming Grand Slam event, which she has qualified for by leading the PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit this year.

Sportsmanship Display

The darts star posted online to congratulate Greaves on her victory and offer best wishes for the championship match. In a social media update, he said: “I had two 10-dart legs, was close to a nine-darter and still fell short. Well done to Greaves. All the best in the final. Some talent.”