Nijman Secures Fourth Ranking Title of 2026 with Dominant Display

Wessel Nijman continued his exceptional start to 2026, claiming 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 regain top spot in the Players Championship rankings. Chris Dobey had briefly overtaken Nijman after winning the Players Championship Nine on Monday, but the Dutchman responded with an emphatic victory. Following a tough win against Martin Lukeman, Nijman went on to defeat Justin Hood, prompting a strong march towards the title. He then averaged nearly 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas, before beating Niels Zonneveld and delivering a merciless performance against Beau Greaves. Nijman averaged 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the quarter-finals and 108.46 in the semi-finals against Luke Woodhouse. In the final, Nijman dominated, capitalizing on a slow start from Waites to establish an early lead. Despite Waites narrowing the gap in leg three, Nijman regained control and powered into a 7-1 advantage. Waites managed to double his score, but Nijman responded with a 15-dart hold to win with a 101.34 average. "Today was probably my best floor event of the 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 gave me a good feeling for the rest of the match and helped me in the final." Nijman, who also won the Players Championships Two and Eight, broke new ground with a maiden big-stage success at the European Darts Trophy last month and is 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," Nijman said. "The top 16 was my goal for the year, and the earlier I achieve it, the better. I lost in Munich and Wieze in the first round, but I hope to do a lot better in Sindelfingen this weekend." Elsewhere, Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals with impressive wins over Martin Schindler and Cameron Menzies. The last 16 saw Nijman defeat Niels Zonneveld, while Greaves beat Cameron Menzies. In the quarter-finals, Nijman defeated Greaves, and in the semi-finals, he overcame Luke Woodhouse. The final saw Nijman dominate Scott Waites 8-2. Who will win this year's Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title, and the action can be watched every Thursday until May on Sky Sports.