Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his exceptional start to 2026 by securing his fourth ranking title of the year at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. Nijman overpowered former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in the final to regain the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. This victory came after Chris Dobey briefly surpassed Nijman following his win at Players Championship Nine, but the Dutchman responded with a resounding performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Following a tough win against Martin Lukeman, Nijman eliminated Monday's runner-up Justin Hood to advance to round three, marking the beginning of his impressive march to victory. With averages nearing 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas, Nijman followed up his win over compatriot Niels Zonneveld with another ruthless performance against Beau Greaves. The 25-year-old averaged 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the quarterfinals and then averaged 108.46 in his semifinal against Luke Woodhouse. Nijman was equally dominant in the final, taking advantage of Waites' slow start to establish an early lead. 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 surge into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his score with a comfortable hold of throw in leg nine, but this was merely a consolation as Nijman retaliated with a 15-dart hold to triumph 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 throughout 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, Greaves made it back-to-back quarterfinals with another impressive showing, featuring wins over German No. 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies. The final standings were as follows: 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. Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and you can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.