Beau Greaves will take on reigning champion Gian van Veen in the 2025 PDC Winmau World Youth Championship final next month, after defeating World Champion Luke Littler in an astonishing semi-final showdown in Wigan on Monday.
Two-time Women’s World Matchplay winner Greaves produced a series of superb performances on a gripping day of action at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, which culminated with an epic contest between two of the sport’s most exciting talents.
Littler, fresh from lifting the World Grand Prix title on Sunday evening, averaged 107.4 and landed a brace of ten-darters against an unflappable Greaves, missing double 12 for a nine-darter in the fourth leg of the contest.
However, Greaves wasn’t to be denied, conjuring up a sensational 11-dart break of throw in the decider to prevail with a 105 average and become the first woman to advance to a World Youth Championship final.
The event began with a round-robin format on Monday, as 128 of the world's top youth talents were split into 32 groups of four, with the top two players from each group advancing to the knockout phase.
The Doncaster trailblazer opened her challenge with a hat-trick of wins in the round-robin phase, whitewashing American Joseph Lynaugh before recording successive 5-2 wins against Noah Roeschlein and Keanu van Velzen.
Following a six-leg blitz of Coby Jones-Swanson in her opening knockout game, Greaves stormed through to the last 16 with a 6-2 success against Dutchman Danny Jansen, a former ProTour winner back in 2022.
The 21-year-old was then forced to overturn a 4-2 deficit against Tyler Thorpe, reeling off four consecutive legs in 14, 15, 13 and 15 darts to average north of 99 and create a quarter-final tie with Germany’s Liam Maendl-Lawrance.
Greaves defied a brief rally from Maendl-Lawrance to set up a blockbuster clash against Littler, where she produced one of the best displays of her darting career to maintain her bid for further televised silverware.
Van Veen, meanwhile, is bidding to join Dimitri Van den Bergh in claiming back-to-back World Youth Championship titles, after preserving his hopes of retaining the crown with a 6-4 success against Poland's Sebastian Bialecki in the last four.
The 23-year-old kicked off his title defence with a statement display against his compatriot Wessel Tempelaars, averaging 107.36 to triumph in five straight legs.
Van Veen completed a clean sweep in the round-robin phase with victories against Zac Prince and Ronan McDonagh, which he backed up with resounding wins over his fellow countrymen Damian Vetjens and Jeffrey Keen.
The Dutchman then survived a major scare in edging out Ireland's Aidan O'Hara in the last 16, although normal service was resumed when he averaged 99 to dispatch Development Tour winner Cam Crabtree 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
Bialecki established a 3-2 lead following a tentative start to their semi-final, but a three-leg burst of 14, 11 and 15-darters saw Van Veen become the first player to qualify for three consecutive World Youth Championship finals.
Van Veen was beaten by Littler in the 2023 decider, and the pair looked destined to renew their rivalry in next month's showpiece after the Warrington wonderkid landed five ton-plus averages throughout the day.
Littler's highest average of the tournament was a 108.59 in his group stage win against Icelandic talent Alexander-Veigar Thorvaldsson, where he wrapped up proceedings with legs of 11 and 10 darts.
The World Champion then conceded just three legs against Tom Garfield and McDonagh to book his spot in the last 16, where he fought back from 5-3 adrift to topple rising star Charlie Manby, surviving match darts in the process.
Both players averaged over 102 in a contest littered with quality, and Littler continued that sparkling form to complete a 6-1 demolition of Jamai van den Herik in the last eight, converting 160 and 164 finishes along the way.
Nevertheless, Littler lost out at the same stage as Poland's number two Bialecki, who had fired in an 11-dart leg to topple former UK Open semi-finalist Keane Barry in a dramatic quarter-final.
Following a remarkable day's play in Wigan, the 2025 Winmau World Youth Championship final will take place at Butlin's Minehead Resort on Sunday November 23, between the semi-finals and final of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
Greaves is aiming to add the World Youth Championship to her extensive haul of titles, while Van Veen can cement himself as the most successful player in the competition's history if he pockets the £12,000 top prize.
Click here for match stats & results from the knockout phase.
Click here for match stats & results from the round-robin phase.
2025 Winmau World Youth Championship
Monday October 13
Robin Park Leisure Centre, Wigan
Last 16
Luke Littler 6-5 Charlie Manby
Jamai van den Herik 6-3 Lok Yin Lee
Beau Greaves 6-4 Tyler Thorpe
Liam Maendl-Lawrance 6-2 Lewis Gurney
Gian van Veen 6-5 Aidan O'Hara
Cam Crabtree 6-5 Nunjo Dewaele
Keane Barry 6-3 Adam Gawlas
Sebastian Bialecki 6-5 Roy Rietbergen
Quarter-Finals
Luke Littler 6-1 Jamai van den Herik
Beau Greaves 6-2 Liam Maendl-Lawrance
Gian van Veen 6-2 Cam Crabtree
Sebastian Bialecki 6-5 Keane Barry
Semi-Finals
Beau Greaves 6-5 Luke Littler
Gian van Veen 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Final
Beau Greaves v Gian van Veen
Best of 11 legs
To be played on Sunday November 23 at Butlin's Minehead Resort