Nijman Secures Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, claiming his fourth ranking title of the year at the Players Championship 10 in Wigan. Nijman defeated former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in the final, reclaiming the top spot in the Players Championship rankings. This victory came after Chris Dobey briefly overtook Nijman following his win at Players Championship Nine, but the Dutchman responded with a strong performance. Nijman's path to the title included a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman and a dominant display against Justin Hood. He then averaged almost 110 in a six-leg win against Adam Gawlas and followed up with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves, averaging 109.71 against the latter. In the semi-final, Nijman averaged 108.46 in his win against Luke Woodhouse. The final saw Nijman capitalize on a slow start from Waites, establishing an early lead and maintaining a dominant display throughout. Despite Waites narrowing the gap in leg three, 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. Nijman reflected on his performance, stating it was probably his best floor event of the year, with multiple averages above 105. He expressed happiness with his play in the final and throughout the day, suggesting that these types of events suit him. With this win, Nijman broke new ground and is now targeting more silverware in the upcoming European Darts Grand Prix. He has climbed to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder, with the goal of reaching the top 16. Elsewhere, Beau Greaves made a notable impression, reaching back-to-back quarter-finals with wins over Martin Schindler and Cameron Menzies.