Sherrock and Ashton in an epic opening round tie at the 2023 PDC Women’s World Matchplay

Fallon Sherrock will open her defence of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay against Lisa Ashton, after the eight-player field for next month’s event was announced on Sunday.

The £25,000 event will be broadcasted live on the afternoon of Sunday July 23 at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

On a busy afternoon at the Empress Ballroom, eight of the sport’s most outstanding female stars will compete for the £10,000 top prize, with five different countries represented in the knockout event.

The top eight players from a one-year Order of Merit based on PDC Women’s Series earnings across 20 tournaments since last August make up the field, and teenage phenom Beau Greaves will make her Blackpool debut as the top seed.

Over the previous 12 months, the 19-year-old has dominated the Women’s Series circuit, winning 15 of the last 20 races and establishing a commanding lead at the top of the rankings.

Greaves’ incredible title sweep featured a stunning 70-match winning streak from August 2022 to February 2023, and she warmed up for her Winter Gardens debut with a hat-trick of victories in Hildesheim over the weekend.

In a blockbuster tie between two of the sport’s biggest stars, reigning champion Sherrock will begin her attempt for back-to-back Blackpool crowns against four-time Women’s World Champion Ashton.

Sherrock won Event Ten on Saturday, ending a 12-month wait for a Women’s Series victory, and she will face Lancashire veteran Ashton – the sixth seed this year – in a star-studded opener.

The other quarter-final match pairs Ireland’s Robyn Byrne against Wales’ Rhian O’Sullivan, after both players won their first Women’s Series titles earlier this year.

Winner of Event Seven Byrne, the fourth seed in this year’s final, has appeared in three Women’s Series finals in 2023, while O’Sullivan dethroned Greaves in Event Six last month to win the event.

The winner of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay will qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts in November and the World Darts Championship in 2023/24, as well as the £10,000 top prize.

2023 Betfred Women’s World Matchplay

Sunday July 23

Draw Bracket

(1) Beau Greaves v (8) Noa-Lynn van Leuven

(4) Robyn Byrne v (5) Rhian O’Sullivan

(2) Mikuru Suzuki v (7) Aileen de Graaf

(3) Fallon Sherrock v (6) Lisa Ashton

Format

Quarter-Finals – Best of seven legs

Semi-Finals – Best of nine legs

Final – Best of 11 legs

Prize Money

Winner: £10,000

Runner-Up: £5,000

Semi-Finalists: £2,500

Quarter-Finalists: £1,250

Total: £25,000