Sherrock and Greaves star on Super Sunday at the Grand Slam
Sherrock and Greaves star on Super Sunday at the Grand Slam
On Sunday, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price were among five players to qualify for the final stages of the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts, as Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock made history in Wolverhampton.
Greaves and Sherrock delighted a sold-out WV Active Aldersley stadium on a historic day that saw two female stars triumph in the same PDC premier televised event for the first time.
Greaves, who scored five 180s in her deciding-leg loss to Nathan Aspinall on Saturday, put in another ruthless performance to upset developing German star Ricardo Pietreczko in Group H.
The Women’s World Matchplay champion jumped off to a 3-0 lead before a pumped-up Pietreczko broke through with a 118 combination.
However, the adolescent sensation regained her three-leg lead with a clinical 90 kill on the bullseye, before capping off an unforgettable victory with a spectacular 12-darter.
Greaves will now face Australian number one Damon Heta in a straight shootout for a spot in the Grand Slam’s knockout phase on Tuesday.
“What a feeling; I can’t really explain it – I’m so happy,” said the 19-year-old, who is the third woman to taste victory in the Grand Slam since the tournament’s inception in 2007.
“I’ve just been so relaxed and I’ve really enjoyed it, and that is when I play my best darts.“I’m really looking forward to the game on Tuesday now. I’ve won a game at the Grand Slam, and nobody can take this away from me!”
Sherrock, a Grand Slam quarterfinalist in 2021, won her second Group G match in Wolverhampton with a deciding-leg victory over Martijn Kleermaker.
On Saturday’s first night, the 29-year-old was defeated by an outstanding Van Gerwen, but she kept her qualification chances alive with a tough victory over Kleermaker on Day Two.
“I was shaking near the end, but I got across the line,” reflected Sherrock, who will play 2018 World Champion Rob Cross for a place in the last 16 on Tuesday.
“I think when you put me in these pressure situations that is when my best darts come out, so hopefully I can produce something special in my next game.
“Michael [van Gerwen] produced his A-game against me and I felt like I dealt with that pretty well, and I expect Rob will do the same, but hopefully I can grind out a win!”
Price and Van Gerwen, both three-time Grand Slam champions, were among the players to clinch their places in round two on Sunday, with World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall also confirming his place in the last 16.
Price’s Grand Slam love affair continued with a stunning whitewash win over Ryan Searle, smashing the Somerset star in less than eight minutes to claim top spot in Group D.
“I felt good up there. I knew I was through with a win, which gave me that extra edge,” revealed Price, who averaged 110.51 and recorded winning legs of 16, 11, 12, 14 and 15 darts.
Van Gerwen qualified from Group G in dramatic fashion, coming back from 3-1 down to win a last-leg shoot-out against Cross, who struck 136 and 108 finishes before missing three match darts in the decider.
Aspinall was the first player to qualify for the knockout stage, scoring 151 and 122 goals in a 5-2 victory over Heta in Group H, effectively ending Pietreczko’s qualification ambitions.
Former World Youth Champion Josh Rock then booked his place in the final 16 with a convincing 5-1 win over Jonny Clayton, after defeating Chris Dobey in his Group B opener.
Meanwhile, American debutant Stowe Buntz advanced from Group E with a 5-3 victory over Stephen Bunting, who missed double 12 for a nine-darter midway through the match.
Reigning champion Michael Smith advanced to the second round with a second Group A victory, beating out Krzysztof Ratajski to extend his winning streak in the Grand Slam group stage to 18 matches.
Ratajski averaged 101 and produced the tournament’s first 170 checkout, only for Smith to hit a nerveless 106 outshot in the final leg to retain first place in Group A.
The world number one will now face James Wade in a final on Monday, after the three-time finalist won five straight legs to advance as he defeated Nathan Girvan 5-2.
Dobey and Clayton will now square off in a crucial match on Monday, as the defending Masters champion defeated Berry van Peer in a difficult nine-leg battle, despite the Dutchman delivering a pair of ton-plus finishes.
World Grand Prix winner Luke Humphries leads Group C after averaging over 101 points in a 5-1 victory against two-time finalist Gary Anderson in Sunday’s finals.
Humphries’ final round-robin matchup is against Dirk van Duijvenbode, who battled through injury to defeat Steve Lennon with 139 and 136 finishes.
In other news, Nathan Rafferty will face Ryan Searle in the second round after a 5-2 victory against Gian van Veen, who is now unable to advance to the knockout stage regardless of his result in Monday’s encounter against Price.
Meanwhile, world number two Peter Wright will meet Bunting in a straight Group E shoot-out on Tuesday, after eliminating the 2014 runner-up in a topsy-turvy tie.
Danny Noppert now leads Group F with two victories from two matches, defeating UK Open champion Andrew Gilding in a hard-fought 5-3 triumph.
The Dutchman will face Brendan Dolan on Tuesday, after the Northern Irishman relaunched his Grand Slam with a 5-2 victory over PDC Asian Championship winner Haruki Muramatsu.
2023 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts
Sunday November 12
Afternoon Session
Group Stage x8 – Groups B-D-F-H Second Matches
Nathan Rafferty 5-2 Gian van Veen (D)
Brendan Dolan 5-2 Haruki Muramatsu (F)
Chris Dobey 5-4 Berry van Peer (B)
Danny Noppert 5-3 Andrew Gilding (F)
Gerwyn Price 5-0 Ryan Searle (D)
Beau Greaves 5-1 Ricardo Pietreczko (H)
Nathan Aspinall 5-2 Damon Heta (H)
Josh Rock 5-1 Jonny Clayton (B)
Evening Session
Group Stage x8 – Groups A-C-E-G Second Matches
Dirk van Duijvenbode 5-2 Steve Lennon (C)
James Wade 5-2 Nathan Girvan (A)
Peter Wright 5-4 Dave Chisnall (E)
Fallon Sherrock 5-4 Martijn Kleermaker (G)
Stowe Buntz 5-3 Stephen Bunting (E)
Michael van Gerwen 5-4 Rob Cross (G)
Michael Smith 5-4 Krzysztof Ratajski (A)
Luke Humphries 5-1 Gary Anderson (C)
