MILTON KEYNES, England (AP) — Beau Greaves made darts history by becoming the first woman to win a ProTour title on Monday.

She did it the hard way, too. The 22-year-old Greaves beat three former world champions in a row at the Players Championship.

She edged Rob Cross 6-5 in the last eight, was brilliant in knocking out two-time world champ Gary Anderson 7-1 in the semifinals, and won a nail-biting final against Michael Smith 8-7 with a stunning 142 check-out.

“I’ve had a great year but I never thought I’d win one of these. Never, ever,” she told the PDC, fighting back tears. “I was up a fair few legs and I started to think about (winning). It caught up with me.

“I am so happy I can’t even describe how I feel. To have won on the Development Tour, Challenge Tour, PDC Women’s Series, I am so proud of myself because I was struggling so bad at the start of the year, really bad. I can’t believe it.

“I know I’ve got the ability and the talent, but I’ve beaten Gary Anderson and I couldn’t believe it! Beating Michael. Beating players that I watched growing up. It’s amazing. Now I need to kick on and keep doing it.”

The PDC, the Professional Darts Corporation, governs the biggest tournaments, including the world championships.