The latest Players Championship double header took place over Tuesday and Wednesday (16-17 June) and saw Wessel Nijman add to his title tally, and Rob Cross return to the winners' circle. Nijman won Players Championship 21 on 16 June, defeating Ryan Searle 8-6 in the final. Cross claimed Players Championship 22 on 17 June, beating Maik Kuivenhoven 8-5 in the final.
Nijman's path to the title included a 6-3 win over Kai Gotthardt in the last 16, a 6-1 victory over Kevin Doets in the quarter-finals, a 7-4 semi-final win over Beau Greaves, and the 8-6 final triumph. Greaves impressed by reaching the semi-finals, having been seeded for the first time on the ProTour only six months into her journey. She replaced Luke Humphries, who as ever decided to only play one day and will not return till New York.
Cross's run to the PC22 title saw him beat David Sharp 6-1 in the last 16, Alexander Merkx 6-4 in the quarter-finals, Stephen Bunting 7-3 in the semi-finals, and Kuivenhoven 8-5 in the final. Kuivenhoven reached the first PDC ranking final of his career, a breakthrough result that has propelled him to an impressive 18th position on the Players Championship Order of Merit.
However, the absence of Luke Littler has drawn criticism. Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com, said: 'Luke Littler continues not to bother with the bread and butter and has barely played any ranking event action this year. Pretty poor indictment of the tour when the biggest name is far ahead and he doesn't need to play any of the main tour events while some will play everything.' Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com, added: 'Still at the foot of the table is Luke Littler. I do not know when he will be making his debut in 2026 on the PC circuit, but he is leaving it late. His title defence in Minehead is slightly under pressure if he does not return to the playing field soon.'
Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com, noted that Nijman has already collected seven PDC titles this season, six of which have come on the floor. Only Phil Taylor, Simon Whitlock and Michael van Gerwen have previously managed to win six or more Players Championship events in a single calendar year. With twelve Players Championship tournaments still remaining, it would be a surprise if Nijman failed to add at least one more title. Should he do so, only darts legend Taylor would remain ahead of him on that prestigious all-time list.