Beau Greaves fell just short of becoming the second female player to win a match at the PDC World Championship, losing in a deciding set in the first round to 22nd seed Daryl Gurney at Alexandra Palace.
The 21-year-old from Doncaster was aiming to follow the lead of Fallon Sherrock, who created history by winning two matches at the 2020 tournament.
The first four sets all went against the throw, with Gurney twice winning deciding legs to hit the front before being pegged back.
Greaves needed a total of just 37 darts to win three successive legs in the second set, with a 128 checkout on the bullseye sealing a 12-dart break of throw, followed by a 10-darter to level the match at one set all.
In the decider, Gurney hit a stunning 144 checkout to move within one leg of victory and wrapped it up shortly after Greaves had narrowly missed a 148 to extend the match.
“For me, she is the best female darts player on the planet,” said Gurney, a two-time major champion and a World Cup winner with Northern Ireland in June.
He said on stage: “If there’s going to be a darts player that can win the World Championship or any majors, that’s the player you want to look to. What a player.
“Everybody said she was favourite going into the game but I showed my class and composure and got over the finish line.”