Michael van Gerwen’s search for a first PDC ProTour title this season continued after he was beaten 6-4 by Austria’s Mensur Suljovic in round three of Players Championship 14 in Hildesheim. Suljovic led 4-1, advanced to the last 16 and was later knocked out by Tom Bissell in the quarter-finals.
Wessel Nijman was the standout of the day, becoming the first player since Michael van Gerwen in 2016 to win five PDC titles in a single year. Nijman dismantled Max Hopp 8-1 in the final to claim the £15,000 winner’s cheque — his fifth victory in just 12 circuit appearances.
Nijman set the tone early, capitalising on a Hopp bust to lead 1-0 before an 88 checkout made it 2-0. He then ran four straight legs to a 6-0 advantage, producing an 84 bull finish and a 140 checkout among the sequence. Hopp took the seventh leg, but Nijman broke back immediately and sealed the title with a 15-dart hold, finishing with a tournament-best average of 104.62.
“It’s always good to hold your best game for the final,” Nijman said. “I’m just happy with the way I’m playing. I’m feeling pretty confident in these floor events. I don’t really care about records, I care more about the form I’m playing right now. I just want to be in the top 16 and make as many steps as close to number one as possible by the end of the year.”
Nijman’s path to the title included comfortable wins over Daniel Klose and Jurjen van der Velde, a 6-3 victory over Niall Culleton to reach the last 16, and a 6-4 win over Joe Cullen with a 102 average — the first of four consecutive 100-plus averages to close the event. He then beat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 (102.98) and Danny Noppert 7-2 to reach his sixth floor final of the year from 12 starts.
For Max Hopp, the runner-up finish was his first final since 2019 and moved him into the top ten of the Players Championship rankings.
On the Love The Darts podcast, Matt Edgar highlighted Nijman’s off-the-board changes and full-time commitment to darts: “He’s in a very, very good position away from the oche and that’s 90 per cent of the battle. He’s working very, very hard off the oche. He’s going to be a breakthrough talent.”
A notable moment elsewhere in the draw saw Richard Veenstra hit a nine-darter in round two against Leon Weber.
The PDC ProTour resumes next week with a Players Championship double-header: Events 15-16 in Leicester on May 11-12.
2026 Players Championship Fourteen — Tuesday May 5, Halle 39, Hildesheim
Last 16
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Joe Cullen
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 James Hurrell
Danny Noppert 6-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Richard Veenstra 6-1 Oliver Mitchell
Tom Bissell 6-1 Lukas Wenig
Mensur Suljovic 6-3 Maik Kuivenhoven
Joe Hunt 6-1 Keane Barry
Max Hopp 6-2 Rob Cross
Quarter-Finals
Wessel Nijman 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Danny Noppert 6-2 Richard Veenstra
Tom Bissell 6-5 Mensur Suljovic
Max Hopp 6-3 Joe Hunt
Semi-Finals
Wessel Nijman 7-2 Danny Noppert
Max Hopp 7-3 Tom Bissell
Final
Wessel Nijman 8-1 Max Hopp
Premier League Night 14 — First Direct Arena, Leeds (Thursday May 7)
The 2026 BetMGM Premier League continues in Leeds, where Luke Humphries targets a third straight win at the venue. Quarter-finals are scheduled as:
– Gerwyn Price vs Jonny Clayton
– Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen
– Josh Rock vs Luke Humphries
– Gian van Veen vs Stephen Bunting
Each Premier League night awards ranking points — five for the winner, three for the runner-up and two for losing semi-finalists — that form the league table. The top four after the league phase progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday May 28.