Australian Darts Open (WDF Platinum Event)
2022 Winners Raymond Smith and Beau Greaves
This competition finally returned in 2022 and as a platinum WDF event it led some of the big names of the WDF darts scene head downunder. The mens group stages determined the eight quarter finalists and thus those quarters were high class affairs. Scott Hallett produced the biggest upset with a 6-5 win over Jelle Classen. For the second of the two tournaments Mitchell Clegg was eliminated at this stage, this time by New Zealand’s Haupai Puha 6-4. At the top of the draw Neil Duff saw of Victoria’s Sam Ballinger 6-3. The final quarter saw two World Cup winning team mates in Peter Machin and Raymond Smith match up and it was Smith who walked away victorious 6-2.
Both semi finals were tight, ending 8-6, with Smith victorious over Duff and Puha conquering Hallett. Thus the final was set and like the first competition this final would go down to the wire. With a 93.33 average Australia’s Raymond Smith kept the trophy in domestic hands by seeing off his Kiwi challenger Puha by ten legs to nine.
The ladies event saw the four group winners play off in the semi final with Beau Greaves seeing off the Kiwi challenge of Nicole Regnaud whilst Mikuru Suzuki qualified for her second final in a row with a 6-2 win over another Kiwi in Wendy Harper. The final itself turned out to be one leg clearer than it was in 2019 with Greaves winning it eight legs to five. Thus Suzuki is runners up in both of the first two Women’s Australian darts Open and two different Englishwomen have defeated her for the trophy.