| Noa-Lynn van Leuven | |
| Birth Date: | 27 September 1996[1] |
| Birth Place: | Beverwijk, Netherlands |
| Hometown: | Heemskerk, Netherlands |
| Laterality: | Right-handed |
| Music: | Euphoria by Loreen |
| Currentrank: | (PDC) |
| Dutch Open: | Semi Final: 2023, 2024 |
Noa-Lynn van Leuven (born 27 September 1996) is a Dutch darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Van Leuven began considering transitioning around the age of 16,[2] and began her gender transition as a teenager. She told the PA news agency that she had suffered depression beforehand, and that she "wouldn't be here" if not for her transition. Van Leuven had played darts for nine years before her transition, though she stopped for several years.[3] She works as a chef de partie.[4]
Having passed stringent transitioning tests to play in women's darts, van Leuven made her debut at the 2022 PDC Women's Series.[5]
Van Leuven reached the quarter-finals of both events 13 and 14 of the Women's Series, losing to Beau Greaves 4–2 and Laura Turner 4–3 respectively.
At the 2023 Dutch Open, van Leuven entered the event as the 15th seed and reached the semi-finals. In the last 64 she whitewashed Jacqueline Geel 3–0 then defeated Evelien van Tol 4–1 in the last 32 before winning against Deta Hedman and Lorraine Hyde 4–3 in deciding legs. Van Leuven was whitewashed by eventual winner Aileen de Graaf 4–0 in the semi-finals.[6] [7]
Van Leuven played at the 2023 PDC Women's Series. She qualified for the 2023 Women's World Matchplay by finishing 8th in the Women's Matchplay Race. She did this by reaching the final of event twelve of the Women's series, where she was whitewashed 5–0 by Beau Greaves,[8] to leapfrog 2022 Women's World Matchplay semi-finalist Lorraine Winstanley.[9]
She played against Beau Greaves in the first round of the Women's World Matchplay, becoming the first trans woman to play in a televised PDC tournament.[10] She was whitewashed 4–0 by Greaves.
Van Leuven entered the 2024 Dutch Open as the 4th seed and reached the semi-finals again. She whitewashed Jaleesa Zegel 3–0, then defeated Kelly Streef, Tori Kewish and Kirsty Hutchinson each 4–1. Van Leuven lost in the semi-finals to the eventual winner, Women's number one Beau Greaves.[11]
Van Leuven played at the 2024 PDC Challenge Tour series, winning on her debut at event six.[12] [13] [14] [15]
Van Leuven played at the 2024 PDC Women's Series. She reached the quarter-finals at the first event, losing there to reigning WDF Women's World Champion Beau Greaves 5–2.[16] At the second event, van Leuven won a Women's series tournament for the first time. She whitewashed Roos Van der Velde, Anca Zijlstra and Hannah Meek each 4–0 in legs. Van Leuven then defeated Marie Fitton 4–2 in the last 16. Van Leuven achieved 5–3 victories over Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively before she triumphed over Katie Sheldon 5–2 in the final.[17] [18] [19] This victory meant van Leuven had won both a women's tournament and a mixed gender tournament in the same week.[2]
At event three of the Women's Series, van Leuven reached the quarter-finals again, winning against Eve Watson 4–3, whitewashing Snezana Veljkovic 4–0, defeating Chris Savvery 4–1 and beating Steph Clarke 4–2 before losing 5–4 to Lorraine Hyde.[20] [21] [22]
At event four van Leuven defeated Casey Gallagher 4–1 and then whitewashed Angela Kirkwood and Carly Townsend 4–0 before losing 4–1 to Fallon Sherrock.[20] [23] [24]
PDC Players Championships