Once again, the action inside Wigan’s Robin Park provided stories aplenty, with tungsten talking points in abundance emerging from the early embers of the latest Players Championship darts event.
Dominating the discourse is undoubtedly Beau Greaves, who, this afternoon in Lancashire, shattered yet another darting milestone. For the second consecutive event, the Doncaster star enjoyed an extended run to the quarter-finals, eventually halted by the eventual champion, Wessel Nijman.
On Monday, Greaves became the first female PDC Tour Card holder to reach the last eight. Twenty-four hours later, she replicated the feat, capping off a highly productive and financially rewarding excursion across the Pennines for the Yorkshire thrower.
MORE ELITE DARTS COVERAGE: Check Out Our Devoted PDC Area
Dutch-born, Swedish-based Kevin Doets continued his remarkable early-season form, once again finding himself at the business end of a floor event. Hawkeye’s pursuit of a maiden PDC Pro Tour title is beginning to feel increasingly inevitable. Having surged into the quarter-finals in scintillating fashion – dispatching Van der Velde, James Wade, Peter Wright and Gabriel Clemens, most with emphatic ton-plus averages – Doets would have been understandably frustrated to fall short. Among the non-winners this season, none have demonstrated greater consistency than the Almere ace, who continues to knock persistently on the door.
Meanwhile, Dennie Olde Kalter can finally exhale after securing his first victory of the year. The Dutchman had endured a barren run, exiting at the first hurdle in each of the opening nine floor events. His triumph over Adam Warner this afternoon will have provided immense relief. Although he exited in round two at the hands of Greaves, he departs Wigan free from that lingering burden.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE!
A Handful of Underperforming Darts Stars in 2026
A glance through the statistics reveals several players yet to register a board win – names that, based on pedigree, ranking and reputation, would typically be expected to progress far deeper into events.
Damon Heta
The Australian has amassed nine Players Championship titles during his career, alongside a World Cup triumph and a Euro Tour crown in Gibraltar. By his lofty standards, this campaign has been underwhelming. Despite being an ever-present, The Heat has yet to advance beyond the third round.
Mike De Decker
Not long ago, the Belgian was celebrating World Grand Prix glory. Yet, in the eighteen months since that landmark success in Leicester, he has struggled to build momentum. Aside from a quarter-final run on his previous visit to Wigan, De Decker has only managed back-to-back wins in a Players Championship event on one other occasion.
Dimitri Van den Bergh
The other Belgian major winner has fared little better. The DreamMaker has at least shown signs of resurgence over the past couple of days, securing some much-needed victories. However, his deepest run this season remains a solitary venture into the third round.
Martin Schindler
Germany’s number one has yet to ignite his campaign in the manner many anticipated. Despite skipping the previous Wigan double-header, in the eight events he has contested, Schindler has also failed to progress beyond the third round.
Jermaine Wattimena
Following a resurgent conclusion to 2025 – a year in which he finally secured a maiden PDC title before doubling his Players Championship tally shortly thereafter – this season was expected to herald his ascent into the world’s top sixteen. It was not merely the victories, but the emphatic manner in which they were achieved that captured attention. However, that momentum has dissipated.
Across ten events, just a single board final falls well short of expectations, suggesting that his previous surge may have been fleeting rather than foundational.
——ENDS—–
Images: PDC
