Beau Greaves is set to face Luke Littler this Saturday in the opening group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts, a match that will bring together two of the sport’s most talked-about young talents. The encounter comes with added weight as Greaves defeated the world champion Littler at the World Youth Championship a year ago, though the pair have not met since.
Greaves, who has competed in the last three Grand Slam tournaments, expressed excitement about the match. “I think he’s the best in my eyes, I think he’s fantastic to watch, he’s been amazing, so I always imagine he’s going to play really well,” she said. “I don’t want to go in there thinking, ‘oh he’s not on form,’ or he’s struggling, because then I would just be terrible, so I’ve got to go in there thinking ‘he’s going to absolutely smash me,’ and just play my game, and try and take any chance I can, and just enjoy it.”
The pair are drawn in a three-player group alongside Dutch player Niels Zonneveld, with only the group winner advancing to the knockout stage. The tournament structure has changed this year, expanding from 32 to 48 players, and moving to 16 groups of three rather than four. This format means that a single loss puts a player under immediate pressure to avoid elimination, even if they win their second game.
Greaves admitted surprise at the new format, saying, “I didn’t know. I didn’t have a clue that there was only three in the group! I don’t know why they’ve done it really. It didn’t make much sense to me, but again, I don’t really know.” She acknowledged the added difficulty but remains focused on the challenge. “It’s just odd, but I suppose you still have to do well to win your group regardless but it’s different, I was a bit shocked.”
The 22-year-old has yet to progress beyond the group stages at the Grand Slam despite winning two matches across her previous appearances. Last year, she narrowly lost to Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson despite averaging over 100 in those matches. Greaves sees consistency as the next step in her development. “I played decent at the Grand Slam last year. I have good moments, but I just don’t do it consistently enough,” she said. “It’s something that, if I am going to do really well in the sport, I’m going to have to get better at. It’s a challenge for me, but I look forward to it.”
Greaves also spoke about the mental side of competing on the big stage. She said, “I always look forward to kind of getting better and improving. I’m aware that obviously I’m not up to that standard as I do play on the floor, but it’s just a work in progress at the minute, I would call it.” She added that she is trying to embrace the experience rather than dread it: “I’m just trying to look forward to everything rather than dread anything and obviously look forward to playing on stage rather than think I’d rather play on the floor. So, I’m just trying to switch it around a little bit.”
Greaves feels a sense of calm when facing Littler, who currently holds the world No 1 ranking and has won the last two Grand Slam titles. “I’ve felt relaxed when playing against him in the past,” she said. “I know Luke’s loads better than me, but I kind of have to at least convince myself I can win. I can’t go up there wanting to get beat but I know it’s obviously, he’s 10 times better than me, but strange to think about if you get beat.”
She also noted the financial incentives at play, pointing out the “big jump in prize money if you finish second or third,” which means there is something to play for even if the group winner is clear. “Luke Littler is the heavy favourite to come through that group obviously, so it’s strange, but there is a big jump in prize money if you finish second or third, so there’s still a little bit to play for on the ranking, so just trying to not think about it and just try and enjoy every game, and try and do my best.”
The match between Greaves and Littler will take place in the evening session, starting at 7pm on Saturday, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The expanded Grand Slam continues through to Sunday, November 22, featuring darts’ rising stars and established names alike.
According to Sky Sports.
