Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his exceptional start to 2026 by securing his fourth ranking title of the year at 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. Chris Dobey had briefly overtaken Nijman after winning 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 his opening match, Nijman defeated 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 secure wins over his compatriot Niels Zonneveld and then Beau Greaves. The 25-year-old averaged 109.71 in his quarter-final win over Greaves and 108.46 in his semi-final match against Luke Woodhouse. Nijman was equally impressive in the final, capitalizing on Waites' slow start to establish an early lead, setting the tone for another dominant performance. 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 this was merely a consolation, as 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 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 throughout the rest of the match and it helped me in the final. I'm happy with the way I played in the final and the way I played all day. Maybe these kinds of events suit me." Nijman also achieved a maiden big-stage success at last month's European Darts Trophy and is targeting more silverware in this weekend's European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," continued the Dutchman, who rises 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 reached back-to-back quarter-finals with an impressive performance, featuring wins over German No 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies. The last 16 saw Nijman defeat Niels Zonneveld 6-3, while Greaves overcame Cameron Menzies 6-4. The quarter-finals saw Nijman beat Greaves 6-2 and Luke Woodhouse defeat Joe Hunt 6-4. In the semi-finals, Nijman defeated Woodhouse 7-4, and Scott Waites overcame Karel Sedlacek 7-5. The final saw Nijman dominate Waites 8-2. Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and you can watch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.