Aileen de Graaf qualified for Women’s World Matchplay

Wim Blokpoel - This weekend the PDC Women’s Series continued, with the top 8 of the Order of Merit after the weekend qualifying for the very first Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool! Aileen de Graaf was ranked 8th before this weekend, so all to play for!

Event 9

In event 9, 4 Dutch ladies made the last 32. Anca Zijlstra was one of them, in her first Women Series evenr of the year! She did lose, 0-4 to Fallon Sherrock. Lerena Rietbergen did whitewash Leane Palmer 4-0, while Astrid Trouwborst whitewashed Kerry O’Connor 4-0 as well! Aileen de Graaf also won, as she edged out Laura Turner 4-3. In the last 16, De Graaf and Trouwborst played each other, and it was De Graaf who won 4-1! Rietbergen also made the quarter-finals, as she beat Rebecca Edwards 4-2! In the last 8, Rietbergen lost 1-4 to Katie Sheldon, but De Graaf did win 4-2 over Fallon Sherrock! In the semi-finals, De Graaf beat Lorraine Winstanley 5-1 as she went into the final! There she lost 1-5 to Lisa Ashton, but still a very important run for her Matchplay hopes!

Event 10

Just 2 Dutch ladies in the last 32 of event 10: Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra! De Graaf did beat Felicia Blay 4-2, while Zijlstra whitewashed Debra Watling 4-0! Into the last 16, where Zijlstra was whitewashed 0-4 by Deta Hedman, but De Graaf did win again, 4-1 over Mikuru Suzuki! Into the quarter-finals, De Graaf again beat Laura Turner, this time 4-1. A second semi-final in a row for De Graaf, this time she lost it 4-5 to Rhian O’Sullivan.

Event 11

Event 11 saw 5 Dutch ladies in the last 32! An all Dutch tie between Astri Trouwborst and Noa-Lynn van Leuven, was won by Trouwborst 4-2. Lerena Rietbergen got whitewashed 0-4 by Corrine Hammond, and Lincy Gloudemans lost 2-4 to Rebecca Edwards. Who did win was, once more, Aileen de Graaf! She whitewashed Josie Paterson 4-0. In the last 16, Trouwborst lost 1-4 to Lorraine Winstanley, but De Graaf did win again 4-0 over Chloe O’Brien! In the quarter-finals, De Graaf beat Hammond 4-1 for a third semi-final in a row! De Graaf lost 2-5 to Fallon Sherrock who averaged 102,6, but with that run, it was confirmed that Aileen de Graaf had qualified for the women’s world matchplay!!!

Event 12

In event 12, 3 Dutch ladies made the last 32. Noa-Lynn van Leuven lost 1-4 to Mikuru Suzuki, and Astrid Trouwborst lost 1-4 to Chris Savvery. But Aileen de Graaf won again! She bet Natalie Gilbert 4-2 for a last 16 spot. There, De Graaf whitewashed Jane Monaghan 4-0 for another quarter-final. It even became a 4th semi-final in a row for De Graaf, as she beat Denise Cassidy 4-2. In the semi’s, she got revenge over Fallon Sherrock who she edged out 4-3. Once again De Graaf lost the final to Lisa Ashton, 2-5 this time, but what a weekend for her: two finals, two semi-finals and a spot at the very first PDC Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool this summer!