Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, capturing his fourth ranking title of the year with a commanding performance at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. Nijman overpowered 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 surpassed Nijman following his win at Players Championship Nine, but the Dutchman responded with a resounding win. Nijman's path to the title included a series of impressive victories, starting with a hard-fought win over Martin Lukeman. He then defeated Justin Hood, before averaging nearly 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas. Nijman's dominance continued with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves, averaging 109.71 against the latter. In the semi-final, he averaged 108.46 in his win over Luke Woodhouse. The final saw Nijman capitalize on Waites' slow start, establishing an early lead that set the tone for the match. Despite Waites reducing the deficit, Nijman regained control and powered into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his score but ultimately fell to Nijman, who triumphed 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, 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." Nijman, who also won at Players Championships Two and Eight, broke new ground with his maiden 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 good, I could play all day like that," he said. "The top 16 was the goal for the year. The earlier I get that, the better it is." Nijman climbs to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. Elsewhere, Beau Greaves impressed with back-to-back quarter-finals, featuring wins over Martin Schindler and Cameron Menzies. The quarter-finals saw Wessel Nijman defeat Beau Greaves 6-2, while Luke Woodhouse overcame Joe Hunt 6-4. The semi-finals featured Nijman's 7-4 win over Woodhouse and Scott Waites' 7-5 victory over Karel Sedlacek. The final match resulted in Nijman's 8-2 win over Waites. With the Premier League Darts title defense by Luke Humphries approaching, fans can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.