Beau Greaves will begin her defence of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay title against Irish youngster Katie Sheldon, after the eight-player line-up for July’s event was confirmed on Sunday.
The third staging of the £25,000 event will be held on the afternoon of Sunday July 21 at Blackpool's Winter Gardens, televised live on Sky Sports and through the PDC's global broadcast partners.
Eight of the best players in the women's game will battle it out for the £10,000 top prize on a bumper afternoon in the Empress Ballroom, in a field which includes four World Champions.
The field is comprised of eight players from a one-year Order of Merit based on PDC Women's Series earnings across 24 tournaments since last July, with reigning champion Greaves returning to Blackpool as the top seed.
Greaves stormed to victory on debut 12 months ago, and the 20-year-old has won a further nine Women’s Series titles since then to reaffirm her status as the premier player in the women’s game.
The reigning champion will play Sheldon in her opener, as the Irish youngster returns to the Winter Gardens after missing out on last year’s extravaganza.
The draw also pits 2022 champion Fallon Sherrock up against three-time Lakeside Women's Champion Anastasia Dobromyslova in a blockbuster quarter-final clash.
Sherrock memorably prevailed in the tournament’s inaugural staging, and after winning four of the last five Women’s Series events in 2023 has added a further two titles to her tally in 2024.
Dobromyslova, meanwhile, returned to prominence by reaching back-to-back Women’s Series finals last September, and will make her Blackpool bow as the number seven seed.
Third seed Lisa Ashton won back-to-back Women’s Series titles on Sunday to overhaul Mikuru Suzuki on the Order of Merit, and her reward is a last eight clash against Wales’ Rhian O’Sullivan.
Ashton will maintain her ever-present record in Blackpool alongside Sherrock, while O’Sullivan also returns to Blackpool after featuring in two Women’s Series finals throughout the last 12 months.
The other quarter-final clash will see 2023 runner-up Suzuki take on two-time event winner Noa-Lynn van Leuven, with Greaves or Sheldon awaiting the winner in the semi-finals.
Japanese star Suzuki will be the fourth seed on her Winter Gardens return, having extended her haul of Women’s Series titles to six following a strong start to 2024.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Van Leuven has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, following up a landmark Winmau Challenge Tour triumph with a brace of Women’s Series titles in March and April respectively.
The winner of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay will qualify for November's Grand Slam of Darts and the 2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship, while also scooping the £10,000 top prize.
NB: Aileen de Graaf, who occupied eighth position in the final 12-month Order of Merit, has informed the PDC that she is unavailable to compete in Blackpool due to a prior commitment. As such, Katie Sheldon will now come into the field for the event.
Betfred Women's World Matchplay Order of Merit Top Ten
1 - Beau Greaves £25,100
2 - Fallon Sherrock £18,800
3 - Lisa Ashton £12,600
4 - Mikuru Suzuki £12,500
5 - Noa-Lynn van Leuven £8,700
6 - Rhian O'Sullivan £7,500
7 - Anastasia Dobromyslova £5,000
8 - Aileen de Graaf £4,700
9 - Katie Sheldon £4,200
10 - Gemma Hayter £4,000
Click here to see the full Betfred Women's World Matchplay Order of Merit
2024 Betfred Women's World Matchplay
Sunday July 21
Draw Bracket
(1) Beau Greaves v (8) Katie Sheldon
(4) Mikuru Suzuki v (5) Noa-Lynn van Leuven
(2) Fallon Sherrock v (7) Anastasia Dobromyslova
(3) Lisa Ashton v (6) Rhian O'Sullivan
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