Beau Greaves missed a landmark win by one leg, but her PDC European Tour debut has already become the main story of the 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy. On Friday night in Budapest, the English player became the first woman to compete in a European Tour event and pushed Rob Cross all the way to a deciding leg before losing 6-5.
The score alone does not tell the night properly. Greaves finished with a 104.88 average, five 180s and a real opening in the final leg after leaving 70. Cross, also averaging above 100, survived through experience, a spectacular 170 checkout to start the match and a 61 finish to close it. In the official PDC report, the former world champion called Greaves “brilliant” and said she was going places.
For Greaves, the defeat does not slow the wider momentum. It mainly confirms what her historic qualification had already suggested: her arrival on the PDC European Tour was not a novelty story, but a proper sporting test. This time, she passed that test in performance terms, even if the result stayed just out of reach.
Greaves pushes Cross to the limit
Cross set the tone immediately with a 170 checkout in the opening leg. That could have knocked Greaves back, but it did not. She won the next two legs, stayed with the pace of the match and even led 5-4, one leg away from a win that would have travelled far beyond Budapest.
The finish came down to fine margins. Cross levelled at 5-5, then Greaves let her chance slip in the decider after a loose visit from 70. Cross did not wait: 61 taken out at the first opportunity, a 6-5 win and a second-round meeting with Luke Woodhouse on Saturday. Sky Sports makes the same point in its match report: Greaves did not just take part, she had chances to win.
Budapest already has its headline
The Hungarian Darts Trophy began as the European Tour’s return, with the seeded players due on Saturday and a deep field gathered at the MVM Dome. After day one, the angle has shifted. The night delivered a clear headline match, strong numbers and immediate proof that Greaves can live with this level in a more exposed PDC setting.
The rest of the session was not quiet either. Laszlo Kadar knocked out Daryl Gurney in a last-leg decider, Nandor Major also won in front of the Hungarian crowd, and James Hurrell beat Damon Heta 6-5 in another result that opened up the draw. DartsNews framed the night around the same two threads: Greaves’ near miss and the Hungarian upsets.
Friday results at the 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy
The first day produced sixteen matches and several useful pointers for the rest of the weekend: Springer is still alive in his title defence, Barry has removed Schindler, and the home players have changed the feel of the tournament.
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Jonas Masalin v Kevin Doets | 6-4 |
| Andrew Gilding v Milan Biro | 6-0 |
| Ritchie Edhouse v Connor Scutt | 6-1 |
| Niko Springer v Maik Kuivenhoven | 6-1 |
| William O’Connor v Samuel Price | 6-2 |
| Keane Barry v Martin Schindler | 6-2 |
| Ryan Joyce v Cristo Reyes | 6-3 |
| Dave Chisnall v Andras Borbely | 6-3 |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode v David Pisek | 6-1 |
| Laszlo Kadar v Daryl Gurney | 6-5 |
| Krzysztof Ratajski v Callan Rydz | 6-5 |
| Joe Cullen v Adam Leek | 6-3 |
| Rob Cross v Beau Greaves | 6-5 |
| Nandor Major v Niels Zonneveld | 6-5 |
| Tom Sykes v Cameron Menzies | 6-1 |
| James Hurrell v Damon Heta | 6-5 |
What it changes for Saturday
Cross moves on to face Luke Woodhouse in round two, but the match also leaves a bigger marker for Greaves. Her next European Tour appearance, due at the Czech Darts Open in September, will now be viewed differently. It will no longer be only about the first female qualification. There is now a number attached to the story, a 104.88 average against a former world champion, in a match she genuinely had in her hands.
The PDC has since confirmed the full second-round order of play, with Saturday split across two sessions and several heavy match-ups in the draw. According to the official update published on Saturday morning, Luke Humphries starts against Dirk van Duijvenbode, Michael van Gerwen faces James Hurrell, and Niko Springer continues his title defence against Ryan Searle.
| Session | Matches to watch |
|---|---|
| Afternoon 1300 in Budapest | Ross Smith v William O’Connor Wessel Nijman v Dave Chisnall Ryan Searle v Niko Springer Luke Woodhouse v Rob Cross Gary Anderson v Krzysztof Ratajski Chris Dobey v Tom Sykes |
| Evening 1900 in Budapest | Stephen Bunting v Jonas Masalin Jonny Clayton v Laszlo Kadar Luke Humphries v Dirk van Duijvenbode Michael van Gerwen v James Hurrell Gian van Veen v Nandor Major Josh Rock v Joe Cullen |
Saturday brings the seeded names into the tournament, with Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Jonny Clayton and Josh Rock among those due to enter the draw. But after the opening day, Budapest already has its first marker: Cross survived, Greaves went out, and yet her performance is the one likely to stay in the conversation.
