Wessel Nijman produced a composed and clinical performance to defeat Nathan Aspinall 10-6 on Saturday evening, marking a dream debut at the 2025 Betfred World Matchplay – and announcing himself on the big stage in style.
The young Dutchman, making his first appearance at the iconic Winter Gardens, showed maturity well beyond his years to oust last year’s runner-up and book his place in the last 16.
Despite facing a raucous crowd and one of the sport’s grittiest competitors, Nijman never blinked – or if he did, he timed it between trebles.Both players scored brilliantly, each hammering in eight 180s. But if you’re the sort who enjoys a browse through the stat sheet, one column stands out in neon: doubles. While Aspinall landed just under 30% of his attempts, Nijman calmly pinned over 71% – despite having far fewer cracks at the outer ring.
Clinical doesn’t quite cover it.
“It’s amazing,” Nijman said post-match.
“To beat someone like Nathan in my first Matchplay game is unbelievable. I just tried to stay calm and throw my darts. I didn’t think too much about the stage or the occasion – I just focused on my game.”
The Dutchman struck early and stormed into a 5-1 lead with composed finishing and relentless scoring. In true Aspinall fashion, the Stockport scrapper clawed his way back into it – reducing the deficit to 6-5 and briefly threatening to spoil the fairytale.
But Nijman wasn’t in the mood for drama. He matched the two-time PDC major winner blow for blow down the stretch, then calmly pulled away to seal the biggest win of his career to date.
That is, until next round – because if he manages to topple the highly decorated James Wade, another man who’s tasted Matchplay glory, then Wes might need to update the top spot on his personal ‘biggest win’ list.
Tune in tomorrow for more shocks and thrills…
—-Ends—–
Images: T Lanning PDC
