Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026 by securing 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 to reclaim 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 at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. After a tough win against Martin Lukeman in the opener, Nijman went on to defeat Justin Hood, prompting a series of dominant wins. He averaged nearly 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas and followed up with victories over Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. Nijman's semi-final performance against Luke Woodhouse was equally impressive, with an average of 108.46. In the final, Nijman capitalized on Waites' slow start to establish an early lead, setting the tone for a dominant display. Despite Waites narrowing the gap in leg three, Nijman regained control and went on 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, and 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." Nijman, who also won at Players Championships Two and Eight, is now targeting more silverware in the European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," he said. "The top 16 was the goal for the year, and the earlier I achieve it, the better it is." Elsewhere, Beau Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with impressive wins over Martin Schindler and Cameron Menzies. The final standings were: 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.