World Matchplay 2024 - The Debutants
Anastasia Dobromyslova
Born: 26. September 1984Lives in: Ellesmere Port, England
Darts: 22g
Nickname: From Russia with Love
Walk-on-Music: Bring Me to Life (Evanscene)
Anastasia Dobromyslova is the only debutant in this year's Women's World Matchplay which shows that the leading female darters play on quite a consistent level. Dobromyslova already qualified for the first Women's World Matchplay in 2022 but when the war in the Ukraine started Russian dartplayers were banned from tournaments. Now she plays under neutral flag.
Dobromylsova was the first Russian female darts player who got in the limelight and she still is the only one. Before she appeared Russian darts didn't exist internationally. That was not the only reason why she became so well-known - she just played on a level on which no other woman had played before. It is difficult to decide whether she at her best time played better then for example Lisa Ashton or Fallon Sherrock after her, probably she was not quite as good as Sherrock - at least she didn't defeat as many men on the big stage.
Dobromyslova started to play darts when she was six, won the World Masters Girls 2001 and started to get more and more well-known. 2008 she won the BDO World Championship. It was a sensation when she qualified by the amateur qualifiers for the UK Open 2008. She lost first round to Robert Thornton who just had switched to the PDC. As BDO World Champion she was invited to the Grand Slam of Darts 2008 and 2009. 2008 she almost defeated Wayne Mardle which haunted him several years. 2009 she defeated Vincent van der Voort but in both years did not survive the group phase.2008 and 2009 she somehow managed to qualify for the PDC World Championship and some controversial discussions followed similar to those the PDC support for Fallon Sherrock provoked a few years later. 2009 and 2010 Dobromyslova played on the PDC Pro Tour without much success. In the first and so far only PDC Women's World Championship she lost 2010 in the semi-finals to Stacy Bromberg. In the same year she together with Roman Konchikow took part as Team Russia in the PDC World Cup - the first mixed team in the event.
2011 Dobromyslova returned to the BDO and again won the World Championship in 2012 and 2013. 2014 she played another successfull year with a lot of titles . After that one didn't hear much from her. She twice without success took part in the Qualifiying School - 2019 and 2021. Since then she plays on the PDC Women's Series.
In her strongest years Dobromyslova played with 100.20 her highest average, her highest average on TV was 95.43. She so far never again reached this. By now her normal averages are around 80.
In the Women's World Matchplay Dobromyslova's first opponent will be Fallon Sherrock, it could be an interesting match. But even if Sherrock's form at the moment seems to be a little bit patchy she will have the better chances.