Lerena Rietbergen caused an uproar at the TOTO Dutch Open Darts 2025: The Dutch player secured her spot in the final in Assen, while Rhian O’Sullivan pulled off a surprise win against Beau Greaves.
The singles tournament is undoubtedly the most important part of the Dutch Open. 354 women began on Friday with what seemed like an impossible task. Reaching the final was already a significant challenge, and beating Beau Greaves along the way seemed like an unattainable goal. The Englishwoman appeared untouchable in the first few rounds, until she unexpectedly lost a leg to Mercedes Pieters in the last 64. This proved to be a sign of what was to come later that day, as, to everyone’s surprise, the three-time world champion did not make it to the final.
The crowd watches in awe: Rietbergen celebrates There were no real surprises until the quarterfinals. Eight strong women, all of whom had already made their mark in the sport, remained in the competition. Paige Pauling, the teenage talent from England, showed once again in the Netherlands that she was on her way to the top. Beau Greaves was still too strong, but this could lead to some exciting matchups in the future. Aileen de Graaf was the most disappointed after this round: despite reaching the doubles final on Friday, she missed multiple match darts against Rhian O’Sullivan the following day.
Only one Dutch player made it to the semifinals: Lerena Rietbergen, who had her breakthrough last year at the senior level, fully lived up to her status. It wasn’t easy for the number two seed throughout the day, but in the semifinals, she played with no hesitation. For Lorraine Hyde, the day was just too long, but for Rietbergen, it was the perfect length: she steamrolled over the Scottish player with a 4-0 scoreline, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. Just moments before, the same crowd had gasped in disbelief when Rhian O’Sullivan pulled off the impossible. The Welshwoman, who had already won the warm-up tournament on Thursday, came back from a 3-2 deficit against Beau Greaves, then hit a 17-darter in the decisive leg. Earlier in the day, she had also averaged over 102: what a sensation in Drenthe.
Text: Dartsactueel
