Wessel Nijman again king of Eindhoven: second win in a row at the Zwaantje Masters after victory in final against Danny Noppert

Wessel Nijman and the Zwaantje Masters appear to be a golden combination. For the second year in a row he managed to win the prestigious tournament in Eindhoven. In the final this time he was too strong for Danny Noppert, successfully defending his title.

The eighth edition of the Zwaantje Masters once again offered a field of participants full of quality and international allure. Flying in from England were Scott Williams and former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton. Devon Petersen wrote history as the first South African participant, while national top players such as Danny Noppert, Wessel Nijman and Wesley Plaisier defended the Dutch honor. A total of 42 darters started the group stage on Saturday afternoon.

The tournament started at 1 p.m., divided into seven groups of six players. The top two from each group and the top two numbers three qualified for the last sixteen. For the big names, this meant starting sharp, and so did most of them.

However, Marvin van Velzen had a rough start and lost his first match to Willem van de Ven (4-2). Thanks to three convincing wins, including a game with an average of over 100, he still managed to qualify for the knock-out phase, albeit third in his group. For Corné Groeneveld and Damian Mol the tournament ended early: they did not survive the group stage.

Notable were the strong performances by Jimmy van Schie and Martijn Dragt, who both recorded averages above 101. Hamilton, Plaisier, Nijman and Noppert won all their five pool matches and reached the evening rounds without any problems.

The first big surprises occurred in the knockout stage. Jimmy van Schie, tipped as favorite by many, lost to Danny van Trijp (5-2). Van Velzen took revenge after his difficult group stage by eliminating Wesley Plaisier 5-3, partly thanks to great finishes of 122 and 150.

Nijman and Williams caused a spectacle by throwing a 140-finish on double 16 almost simultaneously. In the end Nijman proved to be the strongest in the quarterfinals between them, culminating in a phenomenal 170 finish. Van Velzen eliminated Dennis Beeren 6-0, while Noppert convincingly defeated Martijn Dragt. Van Trijp had to go deep against Jamai van den Herik, but managed to reach the quarterfinals after an exciting match.

Only the Dutch were left in the semifinals. Noppert faced Van Velzen and showed his class with a 136 and 130 finish. The Dutchman qualified convincingly for the final.

Nijman had to get past Van Trijp and showed why he was the defending champion. With his second 170-finish of the day and strong legs in 13 and 14 arrows, he took control. Van Trijp came back briefly, but in the end Nijman went into the final match 2-1 in sets.

The final between Noppert and Nijman was one to savour. Noppert, a finalist twice before but still without a title, was hoping to finally achieve success. Nijman wanted to prolong his title.

The match began spectacularly. Nijman opened with a 112 finish and took the first set 2-1. Noppert hit back in set two by keeping his own leg three times. Noppert dropped his level a bit, while Nijman took advantage and took the third set with a great 10-darter.

In the fourth set, Noppert showed resilience with a 120-finish, but in the deciding leg Nijman was untouchable. With scores of 180 and 140, he laid the foundation, then decided the game with an 81-finish for a 12-darter.

With his second title in a row at the Zwaantje Masters, Wessel Nijman confirms his status as one of the greatest Dutch darts talents of the moment. He not only dominated in the group stage, but also showed his class in the crucial moments.

Just like in 2024, Nijman can call himself the king of Eindhoven. For the organization and the public, the final between Nijman and Noppert provided exactly the spectacle that was hoped for in advance.