"I can beat anyone," says 'Queen of the Palace' after sensational victory over Suljovic
Sunday 22 December 2019 13:32, UK
The dream lives on and the fairy tale continues. Fallon Sherrock booked a place in the third round of the World Darts Championship with a thrilling 3-1 victory over world No 11 Mensur Suljovic.
The newly-crowned 'Queen of the Palace' had made headlines on Tuesday night when she beat Ted Evetts in a thriller that had tennis legend Billy Jean King tweeting about her and her status could now go through the stratosphere.
Sherrock missed just five darts at a double and fired in two spectacular three-figure finishes as she captivated the crowd, the nation and the world once again, sealing her victory with a sensational bullseye finish that set up a last 32 showdown with Chris Dobey.
Sherrock will return to face the 22nd seed in the first session back after the Christmas break.
Friday afternoon, December 27, just became the hottest ticket in sport.
"I'm still waiting for it all to sink in. It's not sunk in yet and now it's not going to! I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight… my adrenaline is going to be going! I can't believe it," she told Rod Studd on stage afterwards.
"I've just proved that we can beat anyone. I've beaten two of the best players that there are in the world and if that doesn't say that women can play darts, I don't know what will."
The 25-year-old from Buckinghamshire featured on news channels in Australia and the USA as well as the New York Times and Washington Post and her latest impressive feat ensures the story shows no sign of slowing up.
Suljovic had his chances, missing darts to win every set Sherrock won, but remaining calm and composed throughout Sherrock pinned almost every opportunity that take her way. Less than a week ago she became the fourth woman to play in the event, now she is one of 32 players left to fight it out on an equal footing for the Sid Waddell Trophy.
In the long-term, the game may prove a minor sub-plot as the achievement and status of her performance and what it means for the women's game send yet more shockwaves around the world, but her nerveless display came after a stuttering start.
Sherrock had got the early initiative winning the bull-off in the practice room to see who would be throwing first and having taken to the stage she saw the crowd, in rousing fashion, tip the scales further in her favour.
However the experienced Suljovic, having seen the boos drown out his usually heartily sung walk-on 'Simply the Best' settled first, breaking in the opening leg and then holding for an early advantage.
But Sherrock has taken everything in her stride and having pinned double nine for her opening leg, she took out a spellbinding 131 to level and then clean up 70 on double top for the opening set.
Amazingly Sherrock forged on, reeling off a fourth leg in succession with a brilliant 104 finish. With the strains of 'One Fallon Sherrock' ringing around the arena, she pinned double top for a 2-0 lead in the set.
But Suljovic began to find his groove, upping the ante, improving his wayward finishing and reeling off three legs in succession to level the match with a brilliant set that saw him average 100 to calm the crowd.
It was the Austrian's turn to plough on, taking a 2-0 lead in the third set before more Sherrock heroics. A 14-dart hold got her on the board in the set before she went six darts of the way to what would have been a magical nine-darter.
It wasn't to be, but an 11-dart break of hold was enough to give her the chance to throw for the set and it was a chance she took after Suljovic blew three missed darts for the set as a cacophony of boos rang out. Sherrock swooped to claim the set and stand on the brink of another seismic sporting moment.
With the crowd going bananas, Sherrock took out another leg, a clinical 66 gave her the initiative with a break of throw but a shaken Suljovic gathered himself to break back. Both players missed darts for the third leg as the tension began to show, Suljovic squeezing a dart into double two to edge in front.
Back came Sherrock again, pinning double 16 to level and set up a deciding leg where she displayed all the qualities that have made her a star over the first week in north London.
Suljovic fashioned himself a chance, but when he missed a dart at double top to force a deciding set, Sherrock stood on the brink, needing 86 for a place in the last 32. An errant early dart looked to have done for her but she composed herself, and sunk a showstopping bullseye for the victory amid chaotic scenes that left her on the brink of tears.
"I thought, 'Yes you've actually hit a bull' and it was amazing," she added afterwards.
"When it went in there was a sigh of relief, because I tried my best to get it back to two each and just thought that I couldn't let it go because I didn't want it to go to a last set. So, when it went in it was like a sigh of relief."
Speaking to the every growing media ranks afterwards, she admitted she usually spends Christmas watching the darts with her young son. Instead, the remarkable Sherrock will be a headline act, a star turn and a major contender when she returns.
Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. The action is on Sky Sports Darts with live coverage from Alexandra Palace until the final on New Year's Day.
