Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Performance

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, securing 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, reclaiming the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. This victory came after Chris Dobey briefly overtook Nijman following his win at Players Championship Nine. Nijman began his campaign with a hard-fought win over Martin Lukeman and then went on to defeat Justin Hood, prompting a strong run towards the title. He averaged nearly 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas and followed up with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. Nijman's semi-final performance against Luke Woodhouse was equally impressive, with an average of 108.46. In the final, Nijman capitalized on Waites' slow start to establish an early lead, setting the tone for a dominant display. Despite Waites narrowing the gap in leg three, Nijman regained control and powered into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his tally, but Nijman responded with a 15-dart hold to secure the title with a 101.34 average. "Today was probably the best floor event I've played all year," Nijman admitted. "I hit many averages above 105, and it was a really good day. When I broke again to make it 4-1, it was a really good feeling throughout the rest of the match, and it helped me in the final." Nijman, who also won the European Darts Trophy last month, is now targeting more silverware in the European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," he said. "The top 16 was the goal for the year. The earlier I achieve that, the better it is." Nijman climbs to 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.