"Had the idea the whole time that I was the better player" - Wessel Nijman left with sour taste after defeat to Steve Beaton at the World Darts Championship
PDCWednesday, 20 December 2023 at 13:00
Wessel Nijman failed to qualify for the second round on his debut at the World Darts Championship. The 23-year-old Dutchman went down 3-1 in his opening match against Steve Beaton.
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Nijman came to Alexandra Palace with high expectations, but sadly for the Dutchman, he has to pack up after just one round. "In the first set I missed three doubles for a 2-0 lead in legs, he took advantage of that and so I was immediately on the chase. Still, I had the idea the whole time that I was the better player," Nijman told Viaplay.
Trailing 2-0 in sets, Nijman then won five legs in a row to win the third set and take a 2-0 lead in legs in the fourth set. "I felt really good at that point and thought I would still win the match. The fact that I still let it slip then is very sour."
"Maybe I was a little too fired up after winning those five legs in a row," Nijman continued. "That's a bit of a lack of experience anyway. I threw too many low scores afterwards and too many visits without a treble. You can't really afford that at this level."
Finally, Nijman also briefly looked to the future. "Despite this defeat, this World Championship debut still tastes like more. Hopefully this World Championship will be the first of many."
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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