Wessel Nijman is again a ProTour champion after winning Players Championship 21 with a nervy 8-6 victory over Ryan Searle in the final. It was his sixth floor title of 2026 and his ninth Players Championship title overall, but it came after a ten-day break during which he did not pick up a dart. “I went on holiday to Greece with my girlfriend, so I didn't touch a dart,” Nijman revealed after the match.
The Dutchman had not won in six events prior to this triumph, a drought by his own high standards after winning five of the first 14 floor events this year. He was not at his best throughout the day, but he kept winning. Wins over Kevin Doets and Beau Greaves set up the final against Searle, whom Nijman had beaten in all seven previous meetings. That record now stands at 8-0 after the final.
The final was a tense affair with breaks of throw traded repeatedly. Searle broke Nijman numerous times, but Nijman always responded immediately. Double 18 sealed the victory for Nijman, who averaged 96.56. “To be honest, not really,” Nijman said when asked if he ever felt in control. “You saw it was break after break after break. Sometimes when I broke him, I thought to myself, 'Okay, it's my own leg now, and then I'm in control.' But obviously he kept breaking me back, and that's tough to manage.”
Nijman admitted the head-to-head record against Searle was on his mind. “I think I've won all of my matches against Ryan Searle up until now, but this one was probably one of the closest games I've played against him. He's just a really tough opponent.” He added that the record does not give him an edge but is always in his head. “For example, I know I've got a negative head-to-head record against Jonny Clayton. I knew he was playing Ryan Searle in the semi-finals, and I thought to myself, 'Okay, if Ryan wins that one, then the odds might be more in my favour.'”
Despite his success, the novelty of winning has not worn off. “No, it's never getting boring, I'm telling you that!” Nijman said. He came into the tournament with no expectations after his holiday. “I thought to myself, 'Okay, no expectations at all.' I think I might need to go to Greece more often now.” Looking ahead, Nijman has his sights set on the World Matchplay and other TV events. “I'm very pleased with the way I'm playing right now and with the titles I've won. I think it's probably not normal, the amount of titles I've won this year. But I'm always looking ahead to the next tournaments. I'm going into these TV events differently than I did before. Last year was my debut season in a lot of them, but now I'm gaining more experience, and I think that might make a difference.” When asked if he would make it seven titles tomorrow, he replied, “I'll tell you that tomorrow.”
