BDO World Darts: Mikuru Suzuki beats Lisa Ashton in women's BDO final
- Published
Suzuki's superior finishing was key to her victory in the final
Mikuru Suzuki defended her women's BDO World Darts Championship title by beating four-time winner Lisa Ashton 3-0 in the final.
Ashton won the first leg but her Japanese rival reeled off three legs in a row to take the first set.
Suzuki was the more clinical on the doubles and won the next two sets on deciding legs to become champion again.
The men's final will take place on Sunday between Welshmen Wayne Warren and Jim Williams.
Ashton had not dropped a set before the final, but Suzuki's ruthless finishing proved crucial against the top seed.
"I can't believe it. The result doesn't show how tough a game it was," said the 37-year-old Japanese winner.
She averaged 83 compared to Ashton's 85 but hit one more 180 with three, while her opponent made the highest checkout of 118.
Suzuki had come agonisingly close to becoming the first woman to win a match at the PDC Championship last month, before losing 3-2 to James Richardson.
Fallon Sherrock went on to make the breakthrough triumph, but the 2015 women's championship runner-up pulled out of this year's BDO tournament amid low ticket sales and prize money problems.
Warren and Williams will meet in the men's final at 19:00 GMT on Sunday
The men's final will be a first for both players, with Warren progressing by overcoming former champion Scott Mitchell 6-3 in his semi-final.
Englishman Mitchell had a late finish to his quarter-final on Friday but he started strongly to go 2-0 up.
Warren, 57, came back and took a 3-2 lead and then went 5-3 in front in a closely-fought match.
Warren took the first two legs of the ninth set and, despite a slight stutter which allowed Mitchell to level at 2-2, he took the fifth leg to seal victory.
"I can't explain it. I've got so much respect for Scott. he is such a nice guy," Warren told Eurosport.
"Scott didn't play well and I didn't play well but there had to be a winner.
"I think I gave him too much respect [at the start] and you shouldn't. I'm so happy to be in the world final at 57."
Williams, 35, beat Mario Vandenbogaerde, of Belgium, 6-4 in a tense semi-final.
The two players were tied at 3-3 before Williams put some daylight between the pair by going 5-3 up.
Vandenbogaerde threatened a comeback by taking the next set but Williams kept his nerve to secure victory.
In the youth final, Irish teenager Keane Barry, 17, put in an impressive display as he beat England's Leighton Bennett, 14, 3-0.
Bennett, who is nicknamed Boom Boom and once beat 16-time world darts champion Phil Taylor in an exhibition match, was beaten 3-1 by Mitchell in the main draw.