Beau Greaves produced an impressive display to give Luke Humphries a scare before the former world champion progressed into the fifth round of the UK Open with a 10-7 victory. In a battle between the two number one players in the men and women’s game, Greaves opened up a 7-5 advantage when Humphries missed a string of doubles.
A huge upset in the ‘FA Cup of darts’ appeared on the cards at Butlin’s in Minehead, but Humphries fought back to win five consecutive legs to go through before he urged Greaves to accept the joint-adulation of the crowd following a high-quality encounter.
Greaves produced six 180s and three ton plus finishes alongside a highest checkout of 126 to earn praise from Humphries. Humphries told ITV Four: “She belongs in big-time darts. She is obviously a massive advocate of the ladies game. The ladies game has grown massively and it is because of her, but she belongs in this environment.
“She really did test me there and if we were in a Premier League game, she would have beat me. She just needs to give herself time. Maybe five years, I think she’ll be in the Premier League and I think she is probably a top-64 player in the world right now, but I don’t want to put pressure on her.
“Let her keep doing what she’s doing and the next few years she will find she has got the level that can match me, Luke (Littler) and Michael (van Gerwen) so she has a massive future ahead of her. “She is still very young but if you can test me and I didn’t play too bad there, it shows she has got the big-time darts and over the next few years I am sure I will be sharing the stage with her a lot.”.
Greaves, 21, won three matches in Friday’s afternoon session, which included a 6-2 success over Mickey Mansell, to earn a plum fourth-round tie against Humphries where she was proud of her efforts. “I set off well and then dropped off a bit, but that is what I am trying to work towards, being better at my game and more consistent over those longer formats, but what an experience,” Greaves reflected.
“To play someone like Luke, I said it before it is just amazing for me and my game. It will bring me on a long way and even though I lost, I am really pleased.”. World champion Littler experienced a similar battle to edge past Peter Wright following a decider in the fourth round.
Littler produced a 108.69 average, but let slip a 7-4 and 9-7 advantage before he turned down a 170 checkout to set up a double 20 finish to progress. “Yeah, brilliant game. Me and Peter were just on it from the start,” Littler said. “I am usually very good at a last-leg decider and I always back myself, but when you have not got the darts, obviously Peter then got off on a ton and I just thought I need to pile as much pressure on as I can. 140, 57 and 143 to leave 170. I was never going for 170!.
“If Peter Wright was on a 167 or 164 finish, I have the right to go for it, but when he’s not on the double, I have to set the shot up.”. Defending champion Dimitri Van den Bergh joined Littler and Humphries in the fifth round after a 10-6 victory over two-time winner Raymond van Barneveld.
