''Nice that that last match really doesn't matter to me'' - Wessel Nijman on his own merits continues at Grand Slam of Darts

Wessel Nijman has convincingly qualified for the knockout phase of the Grand Slam of Darts. The 25-year-old Dutchman defeated Lisa Ashton 5-0 on Tuesday evening to secure a spot in the last sixteen, regardless of the outcome of the duel between Gian van Veen and Josh Rock.

The victory marked an athletic boost for Nijman, after setbacks in a number of majors. Although Nijman got off to a rough start, he stayed cool in the crucial moments. After Ashton missed two chances for a double in the first leg, Nijman struck immediately with a 79 finish. A 119 finish followed shortly after, taking the match completely to himself. Via double eight, he finished it off professionally. "You basically know in advance that 5-0 is enough, and to do it like that is very nice," Nijman said visibly satisfied afterwards for the Viaplay camera.

Remarkably, Nijman experienced another precarious moment prior to the match. While throwing in, one of his points broke off, forcing him to switch to a spare set of darts, a set he had never played an official match with before.

"I had six or nine darts left, because they say beforehand: six or nine darts, and then the rise starts. But then my point broke off," he recounted. "Luckily I had an extra set with me, so I switched. That was basically a match I had never thrown with that set before."

The equipment change ended up working out extremely well. Nijman threw with confidence and showed himself sharp on the doubles. "I now have to continue with this set for the rest of the week as well, because I don't have anything else with me," he added, laughing. "I still have two spare darts, so nothing too crazy should happen now."

With his spot sealed for the knockout stage, Nijman takes another step in his development. The Dutchman experienced several painful eliminations in recent years, often missing match darts at major tournaments.

"You also know that I've had some matches; at the World Championship, at the Finals, at the Grand Prix, that I've had all match darts, but I just didn't make it to that second round," he said. "And then when you win now, you think to yourself: if Gian wins, then I'm through too, unless I win 5-0. And then I find it so terribly nice that I'm already through, and that that last match really doesn't matter to me."