"These are some of the hardest defeats there are": Niels Zonneveld down but not out amid Clayton clinic at PDC World Darts Championship

Niels Zonneveld admitted that his second-round defeat to world number five Jonny Clayton at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship was a tough pill to swallow, but he acknowledged that Clayton deserved the win.

“It’s obviously tough, but if we’re honest, he simply deserved it,” Zonneveld said in Dutch translated to English. “Jonny wasn’t far off his best today. I think he can still play even better, but there really wasn’t much in it.”

Despite the loss, Zonneveld was satisfied with his own performance. “I think I did what I could. I’m definitely not unhappy with my performance today. He just showed why he’s the world number five,” he said.

Zonneveld described the defeat as one of the most painful, despite holding all of his own sets. “These are some of the hardest defeats there are. I held all of my own sets. At 3–3 he got to start. I think there were seven holds of throw. There’s not much I can really complain about. It just feels very, very sour.”

He refused to place blame on himself, stating that he took his chances and stayed in the match until Clayton upped his game. “I think I took my chances. I stayed in the match until he really stepped it up. In the end, he just deserved to win,” Zonneveld said.

When asked if there was anything he would have done differently, Zonneveld was firm. “No, I think I did well. I held three of my own sets. The assignment was to break him once, and that didn’t happen because he was just very good. That’s his merit, and maybe my bad luck.”

Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, Zonneveld expressed pride in his performance. “With a good feeling. In the end, I’ve had a good World Championship, the best one so far for me. Of course I would have liked to go further, but I also knew that wasn’t really the expectation.”

He admitted that trying to match Clayton’s level was part of the challenge. “For a match like this, you try to lift yourself up to his level. You think: I’ve beaten him the last four times, it can happen again today. But today he was just too good to let me win,” he said.

Zonneveld also dismissed any potential advantage Clayton may have had by not playing in the second round. “No. I just think Jonny Clayton has enough experience to motivate himself. This is the World Championship. He goes straight through to the third round, that’s his reward. I prepared for the best Jonny Clayton, and I think that’s what we got.”

Looking ahead, Zonneveld is optimistic about the coming year. “I think I’m doing well. If I can take this into next year, there could be a lot more in it — not just at this tournament, but at the other majors as well. I hope I can qualify for those tournaments. That’s the main objective. Aside from that, I’m very happy with my level. Of course, I’m not happy with this defeat.”

When questioned about whether he felt Clayton truly deserved the win, Zonneveld was honest. “You say that, but I’m not entirely sure yet. I haven’t seen the statistics. I think he did the right things at the right moments. In the final set he wins it 3–0, and I think that’s deserved,” he explained.

Despite the defeat, Zonneveld held his head high. “Yes. That was really the goal beforehand. I genuinely did everything I could. When you look at it that way, I think I did everything within my power. Then it’s sour, but you also have to accept it.”

He also expressed confidence in his own level of play, even in defeat. “No. I genuinely thought beforehand that I could win. I threw the level I could, the level I wanted, and the level that was within my control. In that respect, I did well. And again, he showed why he’s the world number five,” he said.

Asked whether he feels he is approaching his best form, Zonneveld remained measured. “That’s hard to say. I think I can still play better — especially in scoring. I really think I can do better than this. But I’m definitely not unhappy with this result. I think I played very well today, both scoring and finishing. It’s very sour to lose like this, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. You can lose to a world-class player while still playing well yourself. I think that was very much the case today.”

Summing up, Zonneveld concluded with a sense of pride despite the disappointment. “Yes, exactly — with my head held high.”