Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, securing his fourth ranking title of the year at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. He defeated former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in the final to reclaim the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. Nijman's victory came after Chris Dobey briefly overtook him following his win at Players Championship Nine on Monday. However, the Dutchman responded with a strong performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, starting with a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman and then defeating Justin Hood to reach round three. Nijman averaged almost 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas and followed up with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. He averaged 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the last eight and 108.46 in his semi-final against Luke Woodhouse. In the final, Nijman capitalized on a slow start from Waites to establish an early lead, which set the tone for a dominant display. Despite Waites reducing the deficit in leg three, Nijman regained control and sparked a five-leg sequence to power into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his tally, but Nijman responded with a 15-dart hold to win with a 101.34 average. Nijman reflected on his performance, saying, 'Today was probably the best floor event I've played all year. I hit many averages above 105, and it was a really good day.' He broke new ground with a maiden big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy last month and is now targeting more silverware in the European Darts Grand Prix. Nijman climbs to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder, with his goal of reaching the top 16 now within sight. Elsewhere, Beau Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with an impressive showing, featuring wins over German No 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies.