"When you play a slow player, you've got a lot of time to think" - Wessel Nijman battles past leisurely Pratnemer as brilliant form continues

While not at his best, Wessel Nijman had no trouble in sweeping aside Benjamin Pratnemer 6-2 in the second round of the Slovak Darts Open as he looks to keep his incredible form in 2026 up.

Coming off the back of a sixth Players Championship title in 2026, Nijman travelled to Slovakia as a confident man. He has won seven titles this year including a maiden European Tour triumph at the European Darts Trophy.

He is not done yet. After defeating Ryan Searle in a thrilling final in Wigan, he made the trip to Bratislava for the inaugural showing of this tournament. He was dominant against the Slovenian Pratnemer, but was helped by his opponent missing 15 doubles.

Nijman himself missed 10 darts at the outer ring and averaged 91.45. Not a brilliant showing fans have grown accustomed to, but what Nijman has grown synonymous with is winning. He sailed into a 3-0 lead, breaking with a terrific 108 outshot with his opponent stranded on six. Pratnemer would break back to make it 3-2 after the pair missed a flurry of doubles. Nijman broke straight back to take advantage once more as he won the final three games to set up a tie against Stephen Bunting in the last-16.

After the match, Nijman shared his initial thoughts on proceedings. He was delighted with the win, pinpointing the early ton+ checkout as the catalyst. "Especially after that 110 finish, I already felt very confident that I was probably going to win this match," he commented.

"Especially when you play a slow player, you've got a lot of time to think. That's when the focus can slip away. It wasn't a good or perfect match, but in the end I won, and that's what matters."

Pratnemer could have made the tie a lot trickier if he was not so sloppy on the outer ring. Then again, the Dutchman did not do himself any favours at times. "Yeah, especially in the second leg, where he had a full hand to make it 1–0. That's where I could get the break in," he recalled.

"Obviously, I took out the 110, and in my head I was like, 'This has got to be the breaking point in the game, and I'm going to step over it now.' I probably made it a bit more difficult for myself than I thought, but in the end, 6–2 doesn't sound like a difficult game, does it?"

No won has even come close in terms of titles won in 2026 than Nijman. He was asked whether he was tired of winning all the time. He replied with a serious answer with intent and motivation. "I said it in the interview after I won the last ProTour. I said it never gets boring, so I hope you can change your notes every week."