Nijman Dominates Players Championship 10 for Fourth Title of 2026

Wessel Nijman continued his outstanding start to 2026 by securing his fourth ranking title of the year at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. The Dutchman 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, Nijman responded with a dominant performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. After a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman in the opening round, Nijman defeated Monday's runner-up Justin Hood to book his place in round three, marking the beginning of his march towards the title. Nijman's impressive run included a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas, with an average of almost 110, and victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. The 25-year-old averaged 109.71 in his quarter-final win over Greaves and 108.46 in the semi-final against Luke Woodhouse. In the final, Nijman capitalized on a slow start from Waites to establish an early lead, setting the tone for a dominant display. Despite Waites reducing the deficit in leg three, Nijman regained control with a 12-darter to lead 3-1, sparking a five-leg sequence that saw him take a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his tally with a comfortable hold of throw in leg nine, but Nijman responded with a 15-dart hold to win the title with a 101.34 average. "Today was probably the best floor event I've played all year," Nijman admitted. "I hit so many averages above 105, it was a really good day. When I broke again to make it 4-1, it was a really good feeling through the rest of the match and it helped me in the final. I'm happy with the way I played in the final and the way I played all day. Maybe these kinds of events suit me." Nijman also achieved a maiden big-stage success at last month's European Darts Trophy and is targeting more silverware in this weekend's European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing good, I could play all day like that," continued the Dutchman, who climbs to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. "The top 16 was the goal for the year. The earlier I get that, the better it is. I lost in Munich and Wieze in the first round, but I hope I do a lot better in Sindelfingen this weekend." Elsewhere, Beau Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with impressive wins over German No 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies. The final standings were: Last 16: Wessel Nijman 6-3 Niels Zonneveld, Beau Greaves 6-4 Cameron Menzies, Luke Woodhouse 6-4 Scott Williams, Joe Hunt 6-5 Josh Rock, Chris Dobey 6-4 Daniel Klose, Karel Sedlacek 6-4 James Hurrell, Scott Waites 6-4 Brendan Dolan, Kevin Doets 6-0 Gabriel Clemens. Quarter-Finals: Wessel Nijman 6-2 Beau Greaves, Luke Woodhouse 6-4 Joe Hunt, Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Chris Dobey, Scott Waites 6-4 Kevin Doets. Semi-Finals: Wessel Nijman 7-4 Luke Woodhouse, Scott Waites 7-5 Karel Sedlacek. Final: Wessel Nijman 8-2 Scott Waites. The Premier League Darts action continues every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, with Luke Humphries defending his title.