Wessel Nijman has started the season in impressive fashion, capturing the second Players Championship of the year last Thursday with an 8-7 victory over Gerwyn Price in the final. "To start a season like this is very good for me," Nijman told Viaplay, expressing a healthy satisfaction without chest-thumping or big talk. The win required a deciding leg, showcasing his steady game, consistent scoring, and solid doubles under the high-paced floor conditions where every mistake is punished.
Nijman knew a daunting task awaited in the final, as Price had run riot in the quarterfinals with a 117 average and a crushing 6-0 win over Michael van Gerwen. "Between matches I'm just on my phone as well," Nijman admitted, noting that performances like that spread instantly in WhatsApp groups. In the decider, Price posted imposing figures again: well over a 107 average and nearly 78 percent on his doubles, numbers that normally win almost any match, yet Nijman came out on top.
According to Nijman, the key was timing. "It's purely about doing the right things at the right moments," he explained. At 7-7 in legs, he produced a 121 checkout – a sledgehammer at precisely the right time. "That's being able to peak at exactly the right moment," he said, adding that he had already thrown several matches with a 100-plus average earlier in the day, knowing it was in his game. After the winning double, Nijman let out a primal scream and clenched his fists, a release after a day of tight control. "You always have to stay calm and show virtually no emotion," he noted, but in the final, with the venue largely empty, he allowed himself a roar.
The victory marks Nijman's third win in the last seven floor tournaments, joining recent winners like Jermaine Wattimena, Luke Littler, Chris Dobey, and James Wade. "I couldn't have imagined that beforehand," he admitted, expressing pride in beating multiple top players in a single day on the floor, where consistency is the biggest weapon in a fiercely competitive circuit.
