2025 WDF World Cup – Finals

So near, yet so far. Paula Murphy’s quest to become World Cup singles champion ended in disappointment as she lost to Lovely Mae Orbeta (Philippines) in a final that appeared more one-sided than it actually was.

The semi-final proved no issue for Paula, as she recovered from a deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to earn a 6-4 victory over JunJi Kim. The Korean opened with a 114 checkout, and won two of the next three legs before Paula got into her stride, but could only reach the double in one of the last six as the Floridian advanced.

On to the final, and Orbeta raced out of the blocks on the first leg, opening 140, 140, 180! There was a slight hiccup on the winning double, but nothing major. A nice 105 check levelled the score in just 18 darts. Lovely Mae took the next two before Paula broke serve to make it 3-2. The next four legs were all close, but Orbeta was always one step ahead. Back-to-back 140’s in the eighth leg hurt, and then a perfectly-timed 171 gave her the edge in the ninth.

Not what we wanted, but what an incredible week for Paula. One look at her averages in the event is a great indication of her remarkable consistency; 76.10, 69.91, 77.30, 70.18, 77.58, 69.14, and 73.45.

More than usually happens, the medals from the different events were shared by many more nations, which shows just how many of the “minor” nations are improving. A look at the individual Golds will confirm that; five youth events, five winning nations, and six senior events, six winning nations!

SENIOR
World Cup (Men) : Japan
World Cup (Women) : Ireland
Team (Open) : Wales
Team (Women) : Ireland
Pairs (Open) : Alex Bassetti/Daniele Petri (Italy)
Pairs (Women) : Kosuzu Iwao/Shiori Sato (Japan)
Singles (Open) : Franko Giuliani (Austria)
Singles (Women) : Lovely Mae Orbeta (Philippines)
YOUTH
World Cup : Netherlands
Pairs (Mixed) : Kimberly Kersbergen/Kendji Steinbach (Netherlands)
Pairs (Open) : Aidan O’Hara/Jack Courtney (Ireland)
Pairs (Girls) : Tsai Yung-En/Yang Yi-Ching (Chinese Taipei)
Singles (Open) : Peyton Hammond (Canada)
Singles (Girls) : Aysegul Karagoz (Turkiye)

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