Wessel Nijman continues to impress in his first full year on the PDC Pro Tour. The 24-year-old Dutchman defeated Stephen Bunting 8-5 in the final of
Players Championship 24 to capture his first PDC ranking title.
Nijman took a 7-2 lead in the final, but then things got tense for a while when Bunting came back to 7-5. "I've felt like it was coming," said Nijman. "I thought [I had to] be patient and it will come.
"In the start of the year I was hitting 100 averages but I felt I was a bit unlucky losing those games, and then I started to hit those match darts.
Wessel Nijman in action
Return after suspension
Nijman was suspended for two and a half years in 2020 for match-fixing, confessed guilt and returned to the highest level. "It's probably the best months of my darting career. When I was playing the Development Tour last year I wasn't expecting to get a Tour Card."
With this tournament victory, Nijman climbs to 67th in the world rankings. "I knew I could win it when I was in the final. My goal was to get in the top 64 after two years; I'll probably get into it after one year so I'm very happy with that."