Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his outstanding start to 2026 by 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. However, the Dutchman responded in style, beginning his campaign with a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman before dumping out Monday's runner-up Justin Hood to book his place in round three. Nijman then embarked on a blistering march towards glory, averaging almost 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas. He followed this up with victories over his compatriot Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves, averaging 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the last eight. Nijman then averaged 108.46 in his semi-final against Luke Woodhouse before delivering a dominant display in the final. Despite Waites halving the deficit in leg three, Nijman regained control and powered into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his tally but ultimately fell to a 101.34 average from Nijman, who admitted it was probably the best floor event he had played all year. Nijman, who has also won at Players Championships Two and Eight, expressed his happiness with his performance in the final and throughout the day. He broke new ground with a maiden big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy last month and is now targeting more silverware in the European Darts Grand Prix. The Dutchman climbs to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder, with his goal of reaching the top 16 now within sight. Elsewhere, Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with an impressive showing, featuring wins over German No 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies.