Beau Greaves will open the 2026 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay as top seed against Kirsi Viinikainen at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on Sunday July 26.
The PDC has confirmed the eight-player field and draw bracket, putting Greaves on the same half of the draw as Gemma Hayter and debutant Vicky Pruim. It gives the Doncaster thrower a clear route back to the final after she topped the Women’s World Matchplay rankings on £45,700.
That total is the standout number in the field. Lisa Ashton, the defending champion, qualified second on £15,550 and opens against Rhian O’Sullivan, while Fallon Sherrock meets Deta Hedman in the other quarter-final.
Greaves Given Clear Blackpool Target
The draw matters because the Blackpool event is still a short-format sprint: quarter-finals and semi-finals are best of nine legs before a best-of-11 final. There is little room for a slow start, even for the leading seed.
Greaves’ opener against Finland’s Viinikainen also carries a wider prize. The tournament winner earns a place in the Grand Slam of Darts and the 2026/27 World Darts Championship, alongside a raised £15,000 top prize.
The PDC confirmed the Women’s World Matchplay draw after the latest Women’s Series block, locking in a field led by Greaves, Ashton and Sherrock for one of the sport’s most visible women’s stages.
