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. He defeated former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in the final to reclaim the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. Nijman's victory came after Chris Dobey briefly overtook him following his win at Players Championship Nine on Monday. The Dutchman responded with a strong performance, starting with a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman and then dispatching Justin Hood to reach the third round. He then dominated the competition, averaging nearly 110 in a six-leg win against Adam Gawlas and following up with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. In the semi-final, Nijman averaged 108.46 to defeat Luke Woodhouse before facing Waites in the final. Nijman's performance in the final was impressive, capitalizing 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 responded 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 said, also referencing his wins at Players Championships Two and Eight. "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 good feeling for the rest of the match and helped me in the final." Nijman, who recently achieved his first big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy, is now targeting more silverware at the European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in the zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," he added, now climbing to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder. "The top 16 was my goal for the year, and the earlier I achieve it, the better. I lost in Munich and Wieze in the first round, but I hope to do better in Sindelfingen this weekend." Meanwhile, Beau Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with an impressive performance, featuring 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. The Premier League Darts will see Luke Humphries defending his title, with the action available to watch every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.