Nijman Secures Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, claiming his fourth ranking title of the year at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. Nijman defeated former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in the final to reclaim the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. This victory came after Chris Dobey briefly overtook Nijman following his win at Players Championship Nine, but Nijman responded with a strong performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Following a tough win against Martin Lukeman, Nijman went on to defeat Justin Hood, prompting a remarkable march towards the title. He averaged nearly 110 in a six-leg win against Adam Gawlas and followed up with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. Nijman's dominant display continued in the final, where he capitalized on Waites' slow start to establish an early lead. Despite Waites reducing the deficit, Nijman regained control and powered into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his score, but Nijman retaliated to win with a 101.34 average. Nijman reflected on his performance, stating, "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 also expressed his happiness with his performance in the final and throughout the day, suggesting that these types of events suit him. Nijman broke new ground with his first big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy last month and is now targeting more silverware at the European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," he said. Nijman's goal for the year is to reach the top 16, and he is now 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. Elsewhere, Beau Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with impressive wins over Martin Schindler and 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.