Nijman Secures Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his impressive start to 2026, claiming 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. However, Nijman responded with a strong performance, starting with a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman and then dominating his subsequent matches. He averaged nearly 110 in a six-leg win over 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, he took advantage of Waites' slow start to establish an early lead, ultimately winning with a 101.34 average. Nijman expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating it was probably his best floor event of the year. He is now targeting more success, including a top-16 spot on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder, and is looking forward to the European Darts Grand Prix. The Dutchman's win also marked a significant milestone, as he broke new ground with a maiden big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy last month. Elsewhere, Beau Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with an impressive showing, including wins over Martin Schindler and Cameron Menzies.