Suzuki defeats Ashton in women’s BDO final whitewash

Mikuru Suzuki pulled off an upset to win the BDO Women’ World Championship by a 3-0 scoreline over Lisa Ashton and retain her title.

Ashton grabbed the first leg of the first set but Suzuki overcame a brief wobble where she could have been broken to level up.

Suzuki took the first set of the game, needing another two to secure the win in the first-to-three match-up.

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In the first leg of the second set, the Japanese player stole the point and went two legs ahead.

Ashton then pulled a leg back to give herself a chance in the second leg, and levelled at 2-2.

Suzuki, the pre-match underdog even if she was defending her title, claimed the final leg of the set to go 2-0 up.

In the first leg of the third set, Ashton’s problems were compounded when she saw one dart bounce off the board, allowing Suzuki an immediate break before the number one seed broke back and established a 2-1 lead until the second seed levelled.

That took the game to the latest time that any match had been played so far - 22:40 - and Ashton required a win to stay in the game.

The match ended in Suzuki’s victory when she seized on a profligate final leg from her opponent to seal a whitewash.