- Veteran Beaton, the 1996 winner, wins first-round match 3-2
- Sherrock was first woman to win a match in championship
Fallon Sherrock’s dreams of repeating her PDC world championship heroics were dashed by veteran Steve Beaton at Alexandra Palace.
Sherrock was making her first appearance since her history-making run in 2019 when she beat Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic to become the first woman to win a match in the tournament. But her hopes of sinking the 1996 champion Beaton – who was making a record 31st appearance – fell flat as the 57-year-old defied the boos to claim a 3-2 win.