Fallon Sherrock delighted in bringing a legion of new fans to darts as her fairytale run at the PDC World Championship came to an end in the third round.

The 25-year-old, who fell to a 4-2 defeat to 22nd seed Chris Dobey in front of a raucous crowd at Alexandra Palace, was hailed as an inspiration and a trailblazer by the likes of tennis great Billie Jean King and Hollywood star Sarah Jessica Parker after bowing out.

Sherrock became the first woman to win a match at the tournament on December 18 when beating Ted Evetts and followed it up with a shock victory over world number 11 Mensur Suljovic.

Sherrock twice led by a set, going 1-0 and then 2-1 up in the early stages.

Dobey made his heavy scoring count, however, averaging 101.09 to Sherrock's 90.45, while he also hit 11 180s compared to her eight maximums, sealing victory with a 94 checkout.

On Sherrock, he said: "She was fantastic, she deserves all the credit she gets, and I just enjoyed every minute of that up there."

Sherrock will be back in action at the BDO Women's World Championship, for which she is the fourth seed, on January 4.