Japanese star Suzuki defends women's world darts title
Agence-France Presse 11 January 2020
Suzuki has won back-to-back world titles
Japanese darts sensation Mikuru Suzuki produced a brilliant performance to down world number one Lisa Ashton in straight sets and claim her second straight women's BDO world darts championship title.
The 37-year-old, seeded second, posted an 83.39 three-dart average to beat four-time champion Ashton in three tight sets.
The successful title defence caps an incredible 12 months for Suzuki, who burst onto the scene last January by winning the world title with an average of over 90 in the final.
"The first time I couldn't believe it, and the second time I couldn't believe it as well," 'The Miracle' Suzuki told Eurosport.
She has since appeared at both the men's PDC Grand Slam of Darts and the PDC World Championship, where she fell agonisingly short of becoming the first woman to ever beat a man in the tournament with a deciding-leg loss to James Richardson in the opening round last month.
Ashton, who won the women's world title in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, was beaten by Suzuki for the second straight year as she could only hit five of 19 attempts at double.
Fallon Sherrock, who stunned darts by going one better than Suzuki and winning two matches at the PDC worlds, withdrew from the tournament after organisers announced the prize money would be cut "somewhat" due to poor ticket sales.
The event was moved from the Lakeside Country Club, where it had been held since 1986, to the Indigo at the O2 in London this year.
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