Wessel Nijman maintained his sparkling start to 2026 by capturing his fourth ranking title of the year at Players Championship 10 in Wigan.
Nijman dispatched former Grand Slam of Darts champion Scott Waites 8-2 in Tuesday’s showpiece to reclaim top spot on the Players Championship rankings.
Chris Dobey briefly overhauled Nijman following his Players Championship Nine victory on Monday, only for the Dutchman to respond in emphatic style at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.
Following a hard-fought win against Martin Lukeman in his opener, Nijman dumped out Monday’s runner-up Justin Hood to book his place in round three – prompting the start of a blistering march towards glory.
Having averaged almost 110 in a six-leg demolition of Adam Gawlas, Nijman followed up victory over his compatriot Niels Zonneveld with another merciless performance against Beau Greaves.
The 25-year-old averaged 109.71 to sweep aside Greaves in the last eight, before averaging 108.46 in his semi-final showdown against Luke Woodhouse.
Nijman was similarly imperious in Tuesday’s decider, capitalising on a profligate start from Waites to establish early daylight, which set the tone for another dominant display.
Despite Waites halving the deficit in leg three, Nijman regained control with a 12-darter to lead 3-1, sparking a five-leg sequence which saw him power into a 7-1 advantage.
Waites doubled his tally with a comfortable hold of throw in leg nine, but this merely proved to be a consolation, as Nijman retaliated with a 15-dart hold to triumph with a 101.34 average.
“Today was probably the best floor event I’ve played all year,” admitted Nijman, also a winner at Players Championships Two and Eight.
“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 through the rest of the match and it helped me in the final.
“I’m happy with the way I played in the final and the way I played all day. Maybe these kinds of events suit me.”
Nijman also broke new ground with a maiden big-stage success at last month’s European Darts Trophy and is targeting more silverware in this weekend’s European Darts Grand Prix.
“When I’m in that zone and playing good, I could play all day like that,” continued the Dutchman, who climbs to 18th on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder.
“The top 16 was the goal for the year. The earlier I get 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.”
Elsewhere, Greaves made it back-to-back quarter-finals following another impressive showing, featuring wins over German No 1 Martin Schindler and Scottish star Cameron Menzies.
2026 Players Championship 10: Results
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
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
