Wessel Nijman claims shock European Darts Trophy title with win over Gerwyn Price

[p]The Dutchman, who produced a sequence of near-perfect performances across the weekend, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/darts/nijman-w-xCX137Ee/price-g-8dDDoW0B/summary/stats/?mid=Qaj5EFmJ"]secured his maiden European Tour crown and the £35,000 winner's prize[/a], with the result launching the 25-year-old into the world's top 20.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nijman-wessel/xCX137Ee/"]Nijman[/a] raced out of the blocks in the final, taking the opening three legs with finishes of 116, 64 and 86.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/price-gerwyn/8dDDoW0B/"]Price[/a] briefly halted the surge, but the Dutchman soon reasserted control, producing back-to-back combinations of 97 and 145 to storm into a commanding 6-1 lead.[/p][embed guid="2332eee6-7d49-4d5a-8649-cb9fc123b41d" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-fwI-dNMeM" social-type="youtube" /][p]Even when Price responded with a tidy 14-dart hold, Nijman remained unflustered.[/p][p]An 11-dart leg moved him within touching distance of the title before he sealed the triumph in spectacular fashion, landing a brilliant 150 checkout on double 18 to complete an emphatic 8-3 victory.[/p][p]Nijman averaged 100.8 in the final and converted an exceptional 73 per cent of his chances at double, underlining the clinical finishing that defined his entire campaign.[/p][h2]'I felt great all day'[/h2][p][b]"I think there are no words to describe how I'm feeling right now,"[/b] Nijman said afterwards.[/p][p][b]"I felt so great all day long. I think you saw when I played Gian, Josh and Niels, I played so well.[/b][/p][embed guid="d61b84f8-10cf-4250-91ac-e1018c7f0d0b" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2033285718626152920" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I thought to myself: 'This could be the day you win a title', and I'm so happy I did.[/b][/p][p][b]"Since I stopped working, I'm feeling so confident. I'm practising more and more now; I've never put this many hours in on the board.[/b][/p][p][b]"I didn't need to prove anything to myself. I needed to prove to other people that I can play like this on the big stage.[/b][/p][embed guid="3808e46f-d355-40bf-9b53-b424a41e074e" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2033282924624138642" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I'm doing it now in a European Tour event and I hope I can do it in the biggest major events, so I can show the world that I'm capable of winning any event there is.[/b][/p][p][b]"The main goal was to get into the top 16 and be a seeded player in major tournaments, and I think this is a big step towards that."[/b][/p][h2]Big names dispatched[/h2][p]After surviving a stern opening test against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/reyes-cristo/Wd5006ea/"]Cristo Reyes[/a] on Friday, Nijman embarked on a blistering run that featured five consecutive ton-plus averages, dismantling a succession of high-calibre opponents.[/p][p]His charge gathered serious momentum on Saturday with a clinical 6-2 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-decker-mike/ARzd8nfD/"]Mike De Decker[/a], before Sunday's decisive session began with a stunning display against European Champion and World Championship finalist [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-veen-gian/jgT1AT29/"]Gian van Veen[/a].[/p][p]Nijman averaged a staggering 112.87 in that contest, the highest stage average of his career, as he swept past his compatriot 6-1.[/p][embed guid="b774eb00-51fa-4982-bbb7-8d43149571a0" url="https://x.com/OfficialPDC/status/2033237474235871546" social-type="twitter" /][p]That performance set the tone for the remainder of the day. In the quarter-finals, he dispatched Premier League star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rock-josh/xKxxNY1P/"]Josh Rock[/a] 6-2 with a 106 average and barely missed out on a spectacular nine-dart finish.[/p][p]The semi-finals proved equally one-sided. Nijman dominated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zonneveld-niels/MeTrr5Fk/"]Niels Zonneveld[/a] 7-1, averaging 110.41 while converting 64 per cent of his attempts at double.[/p]