MARDLE MAKES BOLD PREDICTION FOR GREAVES AT ALLY PALLY

WAYNE MARDLE reckons Beau Greaves could send shockwaves through Ally Pally by storming all the way to the World Championship quarter-finals.

Former pro Mardle will conduct the draw for the 128-player tournament on Monday which can sees the winner take home £1Million!

Women’s world No1 Greaves is bidding to become only the second woman — after Fallon Sherrock in 2019 — to win a game at the major.

“Hawaii 501” says Greaves has the game to trouble the sport’s biggest names, including Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.

He told SunSport: “I’ve thought about this and I’ve had chats with Mark Webster and others.

“We were going up and down the rankings in our shared Airbnb recently.

“I basically said to him, I can’t see any reason why Beau can’t get to the quarterfinals of the World Championship.

“I said I think she’s top 16 in the world – right now. Forget rankings. I’m on about ability.

“So we started moving up from the top 40 and I was just reading out the ranking list. I said: Is she better than so and so?

“So, he was like, ‘yeah, yeah,’ in agreement.

“Well, we’re now inside the top 16 before we get to a no. There was the odd no, like with [world No21] Nathan Aspinall, where the rankings are a little bit lying.

“But let me tell you, if she gets to the quarter-finals of the worlds, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“If Beau were to draw James Wade, I wouldn’t be surprised if she beat him.

“What I’m getting at, I don’t even think the draw has to be favourable for her.

“I believe that she’s capable of beating anyone.

“You need that little bit of luck, that little bit of timing and the ability.

“She’s got the ability, the other stuff just needs to happen.”

Doncaster ace Greaves lost her only match at the event three years ago when she ran into William O’Connor.

But the 21-year-old is a far more complete player now and proved it by beating teen sensation Littler in this year’s World Youth Championship semi-finals to book a showdown with Gian van Veen.

Image by Taylor Lanning.