Nijman Secures Fourth Ranking Title of 2026

Wessel Nijman continued his exceptional start to 2026, claiming his fourth ranking title of the year at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. Nijman dominated former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in the final to regain the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. Chris Dobey had briefly overtaken Nijman after winning the Players Championship Nine on Monday, but the Dutchman responded with a resounding victory at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Following a tough win against Martin Lukeman in the opening round, Nijman defeated Monday's runner-up Justin Hood to advance to round three, marking the beginning of his impressive march to victory. With an average of almost 110, Nijman demolished Adam Gawlas in six legs, then proceeded to defeat his compatriot Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves with commanding performances. The 25-year-old averaged 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the quarterfinals and 108.46 in the semifinals against Luke Woodhouse. Nijman's dominance continued in the final, capitalizing on Waites' slow start to establish an early lead. Despite Waites narrowing the gap 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 score with a comfortable hold of throw in leg nine, but Nijman retaliated with a 15-dart hold to win 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 great feeling for the rest of the match and helped me in the final. I'm happy with my performance in the final and throughout the day. Maybe these events suit me." Nijman also achieved a maiden big-stage success at last month's European Darts Trophy and is targeting more silverware in the upcoming European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," the Dutchman continued, who climbs to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. "The top 16 was the goal for the year. The earlier I achieve 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 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. Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title, with the action available every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.