Nijman claims fourth ranking title of 2026 with dominant display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, capturing 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 on 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 strong performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Nijman began his campaign with a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman and then defeated Justin Hood to advance to round three, marking the start of his march towards the title. He went on to dominate Adam Gawlas, averaging nearly 110 in a six-leg victory, before defeating his compatriot Niels Zonneveld and then producing a merciless performance against Beau Greaves. Nijman averaged 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the quarterfinals and 108.46 in his semifinal match against Luke Woodhouse. In the final, Nijman capitalized on Waites' slow start to establish an early lead, setting the tone for another dominant display. Despite Waites reducing the deficit 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 tally with a comfortable hold of throw in leg nine, but this was merely a consolation as Nijman retaliated with a 15-dart hold to triumph 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 for the rest of the match, and it helped me in the final. I'm happy with the way I played in the final and all day. Maybe these kinds of events suit me." Nijman, who also broke new ground with a maiden big-stage success at last month's European Darts Trophy, is now targeting more silverware in this weekend's European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play like that all day," 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. 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 showing, featuring wins over German No. 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies. The final standings saw Nijman emerge victorious, with Waites as the runner-up. Looking ahead, the darts season continues, and fans can watch the Premier League Darts every Thursday until May on Sky Sports, with Luke Humphries defending his title.