Wessel Nijman claimed an eighth ranking title of 2026 after winning the inaugural Slovak Darts Open in Bratislava on Sunday.
Nijman - who had claimed Players Championship 21 on Tuesday - resumed his resounding form at the Incheba Expo by defeating Rob Cross 8-3 to become the first-ever winner of the Slovak Darts Open.
The Dutchman follows in the footsteps of Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright in becoming just the fourth player to have claimed eight or more ProTour titles in a single season, while also becoming the first player in 2026 to claim multiple European Tour titles.
The 25-year-old blew away Cross in the final with an exceptional display, taking out two ton-plus finishes and reeling off four consecutive legs to establish a commanding 5-2 lead.
Although Cross averaged over 102 and produced a valiant display of his own, Nijman remained relentless, pinning a 12-dart break before wrapping up victory with a 74 finish to complete the contest with a 103.80 average.
“I cannot put this into words. It’s so amazing,” confessed Nijman, who climbed to world number 14 after becoming the inaugural Slovak Darts Open champion.
“Sometimes you have those days where you feel this can be a winning day because you feel so confident and today was a day like that.
“I’m really happy I did it. It was so warm up here, so it was a game of stamina, but whenever you get control you’re probably going to win the game, and that’s what I did."
Nijman kicked off his title bid with comprehensive victories over Benjamin Pratnemer and Stephen Bunting, including a 6-1 success against the former Masters champion after missing just a single dart at double throughout the match.
The Dutchman then produced a superb display to dispatch Mike De Decker in the quarter-finals, landing a spectacular 170 finish and averaging 104.50.
In the semi-finals, Nijman almost squandered a 5-2 lead against Ross Smith, but produced a brilliant six-dart, 341 combination in the deciding leg to book his place in the showpiece.
“This tournament just shows the level of darts at the moment,” continued Nijman, who now tops the 2026 European Tour rankings.
“Even without [Luke] Littler and [Luke] Humphries, the level is still high and that’s what the PDC is like now.
“I’m really looking forward to the World Matchplay. Last year I was there and I felt this was the best tournament there is.
“I hope I can do some damage there and show the darts I’ve been producing here, and we’ll just see what happens."
Although Cross was unable to claim a third European Tour title, the 35-year-old followed up his Players Championship 22 triumph with a second £15,000 payday of the week after finishing runner-up in Bratislava.
The former World Champion opened his campaign with victory over Host Nation qualifier Juraj Holub before producing an accomplished display to defeat top seed Gian van Veen 6-3.
Cross then edged past Kevin Doets in a deciding leg after trailing 5-4, before ending a ten-match winless run against Nathan Aspinall with an emphatic 6-2 success, averaging 102.75.
In the semi-finals, the two-time European Tour champion overcame debutant Tom Sykes to reach his first European Tour final in more than two years, only to be denied by an imperious Nijman.
“Wessel played great there,” admitted Cross, who missed just two darts at double in the final despite the 8-3 defeat.
“I don’t enjoy the heat, but the crowd this weekend has been fantastic. It wasn’t my weekend, but things are heading in the right direction.
“I wouldn’t say I’m at my peak at the minute, but I’m starting to get there. I won a title in the week, another final today, and this was good practice for the World Matchplay.
“It’s just the beginning again, and I’m sure I have got many more majors left in me.”
Sykes enjoyed a hugely impressive run on his European Tour debut, winning four consecutive matches to reach the semi-finals and secure £10,000 in prize money.
The 33-year-old, who secured his Tour Card at Q-School in January, averaged 103.64 in his opening victory over Niko Springer before also accounting for Martin Schindler, Cameron Menzies and Jermaine Wattimena.
Smith continued his excellent 2026 campaign by reaching a third European Tour semi-final of the season, eventually falling to Nijman in a dramatic deciding leg.
2026 Slovak Darts Open Results
Round One
- Benjamin Pratnemer 6-5 Justin Hood
- Tyler Thorpe 6-2 Karel Sedlacek
- Andrew Gilding 6-4 Mervyn King
- Kevin Doets 6-3 Owen Bates
- Niels Zonneveld 6-1 Jan Sliacky
- William O'Connor 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
- Ryan Joyce 6-3 Johan Engstrom
- Dave Chisnall 6-5 Adrian Dudek
- Madars Razma 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Keane Barry
- Rob Cross 6-3 Juraj Holub
- Jim Long 6-1 Daryl Gurney
- Tom Sykes 6-2 Niko Springer
- Cameron Menzies 6-1 Gabriel Varaljay
- Joe Cullen 6-3 Peter Kelemen
- Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Cristo Reyes
Round Two
- Mike De Decker 6-2 William O’Connor
- Kevin Doets 6-2 Damon Heta
- Wessel Nijman 6-2 Benjamin Pratnemer
- Danny Noppert 6-2 Madars Razma
- Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Dave Chisnall
- Chris Dobey 6-4 Tyler Thorpe
- Ryan Searle 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
- Andrew Gilding 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
- Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Jim Long
- Tom Sykes 6-5 Martin Schindler
- Cameron Menzies 6-2 Gerwyn Price
- Rob Cross 6-3 Gian van Veen
- Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Krzysztof Ratajski
- Ryan Joyce 6-5 Jonny Clayton
- Stephen Bunting 6-5 Niels Zonneveld
- Ross Smith 6-5 Joe Cullen
Round Three
- Rob Cross 6-5 Kevin Doets
- Nathan Aspinall 6-0 Ryan Searle
- Tom Sykes 6-4 Cameron Menzies
- Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Danny Noppert
- Andrew Gilding 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
- Ross Smith 6-4 Chris Dobey
- Mike De Decker 6-5 Ryan Joyce
- Wessel Nijman 6-1 Stephen Bunting
Quarter-Finals
- Rob Cross 6-2 Nathan Aspinall
- Tom Sykes 6-2 Jermaine Wattimena
- Ross Smith 6-4 Andrew Gilding
- Wessel Nijman 6-3 Mike De Decker
Semi-Finals
- Rob Cross 7-2 Tom Sykes
- Wessel Nijman 7-6 Ross Smith
Final
- Wessel Nijman 8-3 Rob Cross
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