Nijman Claims Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, securing his fourth ranking title of the year with a convincing victory 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. This win comes after Chris Dobey briefly took the lead following his victory at Players Championship Nine, but Nijman responded with a strong performance at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Nijman's path to the title included a series of impressive wins, starting with a hard-fought victory over Martin Lukeman, followed by a win against Justin Hood, which marked the beginning of his march towards the championship. He then delivered a blistering performance, averaging almost 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas, before going on to defeat Niels Zonneveld and Beau Greaves. Nijman maintained his high level of performance throughout the tournament, averaging 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 a slow start by Waites to establish an early lead, setting the tone for a dominant display. Despite Waites narrowing the gap in the third leg, Nijman regained control with a 12-darter, leading 3-1 and 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 Nijman responded with a 15-dart hold to secure the win with a 101.34 average. "Today was probably the best floor event I've played all year," Nijman admitted, reflecting on his performance. "I hit so 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 throughout the day. Maybe these kinds of events suit me." Nijman, who also recently achieved his first big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy, is now targeting more silverware at the upcoming European Darts Grand Prix. "When I'm in that zone and playing well, I could play all day like that," he continued, now ranked 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." The tournament also saw Beau Greaves deliver an impressive performance, making it back-to-back quarterfinals with wins over German No. 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies. The results of the last 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final are as follows: 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. As the darts season progresses, the question on everyone's mind is who will win this year's Premier League Darts. Luke Humphries will be defending his title, and the action can be watched every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.