“The French Force” Fenech Battles Through Canadian Open Field to Reach Women’s WDF Singles Final
AADSDartsNews
Josianne “The French Force” Fenech has continued an impressive stretch of form on the Canadian darts scene.
On May 30, Fenech competed in the AADS Women’s Invitational, where she defeated Joanne Luke in the final to become the first-ever AADS Women’s Invitational Champion. Just weeks later, “The French Force” carried that momentum onto the Canadian Open stage, producing one of the standout performances of the event by reaching the Women’s WDF Singles Final.
AADS would like to congratulate Josianne “The French Force” Fenech on her outstanding run at this year’s Canadian Open.
The Canadian Open Women’s WDF Singles field featured 124 entries, and Fenech proved she belonged deep in the draw from the opening stages. Across the event, she played twelve matches, finishing with a strong 10–2 overall record. Her only two losses came against the same opponent: eventual Canadian Open champion Maria Carli, once in the round robin and again in the final.
Fenech’s run was built on steady scoring, strong finishing under pressure, and the ability to win the key legs when matches became tight.
Tournament Overview
Event: Canadian Open — Women’s WDF Singles
Player: Josianne “The French Force” Fenech
Final Result: Runner-Up
Overall Match Record: 10 wins, 2 losses
Round Robin Record: 5 wins, 1 loss
Knockout Record: 5 wins, 1 loss
Only player to defeat her: Maria Carli
Overall PPR / 3-Dart Average: 57.73
Final Field Size: 124 entries
Strong Start in Group A
Fenech opened her tournament in Group A, where she finished the round robin with a 5–1 record.
She started with three straight 2–0 victories, defeating Natalie Simpson, Pam Hall, and Cathy Matthews without dropping a leg. Her best round robin performance came against Matthews, where Fenech averaged 69.91, her highest match average of the tournament.
Her group stage was not only about clean wins. Fenech also showed resilience in close matches, edging Ashley Broomfield 2–1 despite Broomfield posting the higher average, and then defeating Caroline Gelinas 2–1 to secure another important result.
The only setback of the group stage came against Maria Carli, who defeated Fenech 2–1 while averaging 75.05. Even in defeat, Fenech remained competitive, averaging 64.62 in what would become a preview of the championship final later in the event.
Round Robin Results
Match 1: Josianne Fenech defeated Natalie Simpson, 2–0
Fenech Average: 48.48
Simpson Average: 39.65
Match 2: Josianne Fenech defeated Pam Hall, 2–0
Fenech Average: 60.12
Hall Average: 54.56
Match 3: Josianne Fenech defeated Cathy Matthews, 2–0
Fenech Average: 69.91
Matthews Average: 49.36
Match 4: Josianne Fenech defeated Ashley Broomfield, 2–1
Fenech Average: 60.76
Broomfield Average: 64.92
Match 5: Josianne Fenech defeated Caroline Gelinas, 2–1
Fenech Average: 49.10
Gelinas Average: 45.85
Match 6: Maria Carli defeated Josianne Fenech, 2–1
Fenech Average: 64.62
Carli Average: 75.05
Fenech advanced from the group with five wins from six matches and carried that momentum into the knockout stage.
Knockout Run Begins with a Clean Win
In the Top 64, Fenech opened the elimination rounds with a convincing 3–0 win over Linda Wilder.
She averaged 62.63, while Wilder averaged 55.30. It was exactly the type of performance a player wants to start a knockout run: clean, controlled, and efficient.
From there, the road became more difficult.
Pressure Win Over Joanne Luke in the Top 32
One of the most important matches of Fenech’s tournament came in the Top 32 against Joanne Luke.
This was also a rematch of the AADS Women’s Invitational final from May 30, where Fenech had defeated Luke to become the first champion in that event’s history.
At the Canadian Open, Luke produced a strong performance and finished with the higher average, 66.93 to Fenech’s 62.47, but Fenech again found a way through, winning the match 3–2.
That result became one of the defining wins of Fenech’s run. In knockout darts, surviving a deciding-leg match can completely change a tournament, and Fenech showed the composure needed to handle the pressure.
It was not simply a scoring win. It was a match-management win.
Through the Top 16 and Quarter-Final
In the Top 16, Fenech defeated Julie Cunningham 3–1 in another close statistical match. Cunningham averaged 56.87, slightly ahead of Fenech’s 56.08, but Fenech again won the important legs and moved on.
The quarter-final brought a matchup with Shirley Broomfield, and Fenech delivered a composed 4–1 victory. She averaged 53.96, while Broomfield averaged 48.75.
By the time Fenech reached the semi-final, she had already shown every part of a complete tournament run: clean wins, close-match survival, and the ability to win even when the averages were tight.
Semi-Final Statement Against Brianna Robia
Fenech’s best knockout performance came in the semi-final against Brianna Robia.
With a place in the Canadian Open final on the line, Fenech produced a dominant 4–0 win, averaging 69.10. Robia averaged 48.45.
It was Fenech’s second-highest average of the tournament and her strongest knockout average. More importantly, it was a statement performance at one of the biggest moments of the event.
A 4–0 semi-final win in a field of this size is not just a result — it is a message.
“The French Force” had earned her place in the Canadian Open Women’s WDF Singles Final.
Final Rematch with Maria Carli
The final brought a rematch with Maria Carli, the only player who had beaten Fenech in the round robin.
Carli went on to win the championship match 5–3, averaging 70.85, while Fenech averaged 63.94.
Fenech stayed competitive throughout the final, taking three legs and forcing Carli to produce one of the strongest performances of the event to win the title. Carli proved to be the only player able to stop Fenech on the day, defeating her once in the group stage and once again in the final.
For Fenech, the final result was still an outstanding achievement: runner-up at the Canadian Open Women’s WDF Singles after winning ten matches and reaching the championship stage through a difficult draw.
Knockout Results
Top 64: Josianne Fenech defeated Linda Wilder, 3–0
Fenech Average: 62.63
Wilder Average: 55.30
Top 32: Josianne Fenech defeated Joanne Luke, 3–2
Fenech Average: 62.47
Luke Average: 66.93
Top 16: Josianne Fenech defeated Julie Cunningham, 3–1
Fenech Average: 56.08
Cunningham Average: 56.87
Quarter-Final: Josianne Fenech defeated Shirley Broomfield, 4–1
Fenech Average: 53.96
Broomfield Average: 48.75
Semi-Final: Josianne Fenech defeated Brianna Robia, 4–0
Fenech Average: 69.10
Robia Average: 48.45
Final: Maria Carli defeated Josianne Fenech, 5–3
Fenech Average: 63.94
Carli Average: 70.85
Tournament Stat Line
Fenech finished ranked 7th overall in tournament 3-dart average among the full field, posting a 57.73 PPR across the event.
Overall Record: 10–2
Round Robin Record: 5–1
Knockout Record: 5–1
Overall PPR / 3-Dart Average: 57.73
Checkouts: 11/39
Checkout Percentage: 28%
Set Record: 13 won, 4 lost
Set Win Percentage: 77%
Leg Record: 43 won, 26 lost
Leg Win Percentage: 62%
Best Match Average: 69.91
Best Knockout Average: 69.10
One of the biggest stories of Fenech’s tournament was her ability to win matches even when her opponent posted the higher average.
She did it three times.
Against Ashley Broomfield, Fenech won 2–1 despite being out-averaged 64.92 to 60.76.
Against Joanne Luke, Fenech won 3–2 despite Luke posting the higher average, 66.93 to 62.47.
Against Julie Cunningham, Fenech won 3–1 even though Cunningham narrowly held the higher average, 56.87 to 56.08.
Those results showed Fenech’s match toughness. She was not relying only on scoring power. She was finishing key legs, staying composed, and finding ways to win under pressure.
Final Word
Josianne “The French Force” Fenech’s run to the Canadian Open Women’s WDF Singles Final was a complete tournament performance.
After becoming the first-ever AADS Women’s Invitational Champion on May 30 with a final victory over Joanne Luke, Fenech followed it up with a major Canadian Open run. She came through the round robin at 5–1, won five straight knockout matches, survived a major Top 32 battle, controlled her quarter-final, and then delivered a dominant 4–0 semi-final win to reach the final.
Her only losses came against the eventual champion, Maria Carli. Against the rest of the field, Fenech was unbeaten.
In a Canadian Open field of 124 players, Fenech finished as the Women’s WDF Singles runner-up with a 10–2 match record, a 57.73 overall PPR, and one of the most impressive runs of the event.
Congratulations to Josianne “The French Force” Fenech on a tremendous performance at this year’s Canadian Open.