World Champion Luke Littler Suffers upset Loss to Beau greaves in World Youth Championship Semi-Final
In a stunning result, Luke Littler, the reigning world champion, was defeated 6-5 by Beau Greaves in the semi-final of the World Youth Championship. Greaves’ victory marks a historic moment as she becomes the first woman to reach the final of the prestigious youth tournament.
The defeat comes just weeks after Littler’s extraordinary 6-1 win over world number one Luke Humphries in the World Grand Prix final.While the 18-year-old breezed through the round-robin stage wiht victories over Jeffrey Keen, Alexander Thorvaldsson, and Matthias Moors, he faced a tougher challenge in the knockout rounds, needing to recover from 5-3 down against Charlie Manby in the last-16 before a 6-1 quarter-final win over Jamai van den Herik. Despite a strong start in the semi-final, leading 2-1, Littler couldn’t maintain momentum against the resilient Greaves.
Greaves, a 21-year-old from Doncaster and three-time WDF women’s world champion, demonstrated remarkable composure, leveling the match at 4-4 and 5-5 before sealing the victory with an 11-dart leg finished with an 80 checkout. She will now face defending champion Gian van Veen, who won his semi-final 6-4 against Sebastian Bialecki, in the final on November 23rd in Minehead.
littler, who averaged 107.4 during the match compared to Greaves’ 105, acknowledged his opponent’s skill, posting on Instagram: “Fair play to Beau.All the best in Minehead. Some talent.” Greaves is set to earn a PDC Tour card for the 2026-27 season. The World Youth Championship is open to players aged between 16 and 24; Littler himself won the title in 2023 at age 16, shortly before his breakthrough performance at the 2024 World Championship.
