Nijman Secures Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his exceptional start to 2026 by claiming 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 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 performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Following a tough win against Martin Lukeman in the opening round, Nijman eliminated Monday's runner-up Justin Hood to advance to round three, marking the beginning of his impressive march to victory. With a remarkable average of almost 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas, Nijman went on to defeat his compatriot Niels Zonneveld and then delivered another outstanding 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 match against Luke Woodhouse. Nijman's dominance continued in the final, as he capitalized on Waites's slow start to establish an early lead, setting the tone for another commanding display. 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 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 responded with a 15-dart hold to emerge victorious with a 101.34 average. "Today was probably the best floor event I've played all year," Nijman admitted, reflecting on his successful day. "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 great feeling for the rest of the match, and it helped me in the final. I'm happy with my performance in the final and throughout the day. Maybe these kinds of events suit me." Nijman also achieved a breakthrough with his first big-stage success at last month's European Darts Trophy and is now targeting more silverware at this weekend's 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 my 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 another impressive performance, 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. The Premier League Darts is set to begin, with Luke Humphries defending his title, and the action can be watched every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.