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Michael van Gerwen’s quest for his first PDC ProTour win of the season continues after crashing out of the Players Championship 14 at Hildesheim in the third round.
The Dutch lost 6-4 to three-time world champion Mensur Sulzovic of Austria, who capitalized on a 4-1 lead to advance to the last 16 before being beaten by Tom Bissell in the quarter-finals.
Wessel Nijman became the first player since his compatriot van Gerwen in 2016 to win five titles in a year after beating Max Hopp 8-1 in the final.
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Love the Darts, Michael Bridges and Chris Murphy talk about the debate over who is the best Dutch darts player of all time
Nijman took the £15,000 top prize for the fifth time in just 12 appearances on the circuit.
The Dutchman made a hop-busting 61 for a 1-0 lead before taking out an 88 checkout to double his advantage.
The 25-year-old then won four more legs to go 6-0 straight away, including an 84 outshot at the bullseye and 140 checkouts in legs five and six respectively, averaging 110 two legs from victory.
Although the hop was broken in the seventh leg, it proved to be a mere consolation for the German, as Nijmann made the break before sealing the title with a 15-dart hold.
“It’s always good to save your best game for the final,” said Nijman, who averaged 104.62 against Hops and produced the best performance of the day.
“I’m happy with the way I’m playing. I played well today, especially in the later stages of the tournament.
“I feel pretty confident in these floor events, and I hope I can play like this on floor for many more years.
“I don’t really care about the record, I care more about the form I’m playing now. It’s always good to have a record like that in your bag, but it doesn’t give much more than the form you’re in.
“I just want to be in the top 16 and get as close to number one as possible at the end of the year.”
Wessel Nijmann continued his Players Championship dominance by claiming his fifth title of the year at Event 14 in Hildesheim.
The Dutchman opened the event with comfortable wins over Daniel Klose and Jurgen van der Veld, followed by a 6-3 win over Niall Culleton to reach the last 16.
The 25-year-old faced the closest match of the day against Joe Cullen at this stage, winning 6-4 with an average of 102 – the first of four consecutive ton-plus averages before winning the title.
Nijman then beat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 with an average of 102.98, beating Danny Knoppert 7-2 to reach a remarkable sixth final this year in just 12 attempts.
Hopp, on the other hand, entered the top ten of the Players Championship rankings after making his first final since 2019.
Edgar admires the talented Nijman
Speaking on the latest episode of the Love the Darts podcast, Matt Edgar said: “We sat him down in November to look forward to the World Championships and I said Nijman was going to make a lifestyle change and keep an eye on him.
“That lifestyle has been changed. He is now committed to playing darts on a full-time basis. He is out of a job and he is in a very, very good position away from Oche and that is 90 per cent of the battle.
“He’s absolutely nailed it. I thought he’d take it but I didn’t think he’d rise to the level he’s at now. I can’t see him doing anything but transitioning to the main stage. He’s been working really hard since Oche. He’s going to be a breakthrough talent.”
The 2026 PDC ProTour season continues next week with another Players Championship double-header, with Event 15-16 played in Leicester on May 11-12.
2026 Players Championship Fourteen
Tuesday 5 May
Hall 39, Hildesheim
Last 16
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Joe Cullen
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 James Hurrell
Danny Knoppert 6-2 Dirk van Duyvenbod
Richard Veenstra 6-1 Oliver Mitchell
Tom Bissell 6-1 Luke Wenig
Mensur Suljovic 6-3 Maik Kuivenhoven
Joe Hunt 6-1 Keen Barry
Max Hopp 6-2 Rob Cross
Quarter-final
Wessel Nijman 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Danny Knoppert 6-2 Richard Veenstra
Tom Bissell 6-5 Mensur Suljovic
Max Hopp 6-3 Joe Hunt
semi-final
Wessel Nijman 7-2 Danny Knoppert
Max Hopp 7-3 Tom Bissell
the final
Wessel Nijman 8-1 Max Hopp
Nine-darter!
Richard Veenstra hits a nine-darter in his round two tie against Leon Weber.
Here’s what’s happening on Premier League Night 14 in Leeds
The 2026 BetMGM Premier League season continues in Leeds, as Humphries aim for a third straight win at the First Arena.
The reigning champion takes on Josh Rock in his quarter-final tie as league leader Luke Littler begins his latest overnight bid against van Gerwen.
Garwyn Price and Jonny Clayton face off in next week’s opener in an all-Welsh affair, while Gian van Veen and Stephen Bunting are also fighting for a place in the semi-finals.
Ranking points are awarded each night – five to the winner, three to the runners-up and two to the semi-finalists – to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to the final night at London’s O2 on Thursday 28 May.
Who will win this Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can catch the action every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more great games now.
