| colspan=”4″ style=”text-align:center; color:#ccc;”|Did not qualify
| colspan=”4″ style=”text-align:center; color:#ccc;”|Did not qualify
| style=”text-align:center; background:#afeeee;”|[[2025 Swiss Darts Trophy|SDT]]<br />2R
| style=”text-align:center; background:#afeeee;”|[[2025 Swiss Darts Trophy|SDT]]<br />2R
| style=”text-align:center; color:#ccc;”|[[2025 German Darts Championship|GDC]]<br />
| style=”text-align:center; :#;”|[[2025 German Darts Championship|GDC]]<br />
|}
|}
| style=”text-align:center; background:yellow;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 31|WIG]]<br />SF
| style=”text-align:center; background:yellow;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 31|WIG]]<br />SF
| style=”text-align:center; background:#afeeee;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 32|WIG]]<br />2R
| style=”text-align:center; background:#afeeee;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 32|WIG]]<br />2R
| style=”text-align:center; background:#;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 33|WIG]]<br />
| style=”text-align:center; background:#;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 33|WIG]]<br />
| style=”text-align:center; background:#;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 34|WIG]]<br />
| style=”text-align:center; background:#;”|[[2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 34|WIG]]<br />
|}
|}
Dutch darts player (born 1998)
Darts player
Niels Zonneveld (born 22 July 1998)[3] is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed “Triple Z”, he has held a PDC Tour Card since 2019. He made his first PDC European Tour semi-final at the 2024 Czech Darts Open. He reached his first PDC ranking final at Players Championship 22 on the 2025 PDC Pro Tour.
In his youth career, Zonneveld won 2 PDC Development Tours and reached the semi-finals of the 2020 PDC World Youth Championship.
Zonneveld started playing on the PDC Development Tour in 2018, picking up his first title on the tour in only his fourth event where he defeated Joe Davis 5–2 in the final.[4] At the end of the 2018 Development Tour season, he finished 9th on the Order of Merit ranking.
He attended European Q-School in 2019, where he won his PDC Tour Card on Day 1, beating Christian Gödl 5–1 in the final.[5] He made it to the semi finals of the 2020 PDC World Youth Championship but lost to the eventual champion Bradley Brooks 6–1. Zonneveld qualified for the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship through the PDPA Rest of the World Qualifier.[6][7] This was his debut at the competition.[8] He went out in the first round, being whitewashed by William O’Connor 3–0 in sets.[9]
He qualified for the 2021 World Series of Darts Finals as one of the four Tour Card holder qualifiers,[10] where he had his deepest run at a PDC televised event. He reached the quarter finals, including a 6–4 victory over Gary Anderson in the second round.[11] His run was ended by Krzysztof Ratajski.[12]
At the 2022 Belgian Darts Open, Zonneveld upset reigning World Champion Peter Wright in the second round, beating him 6–5. The game became known for Wright’s refusal to fist bump Zonneveld before the deciding leg, a gesture common amongst darts players.[13][14] Zonneveld reflected on the incident on the Double Top podcast in 2024, stating that the close win over Wright was “kind of the ultimate revenge”, but explained that Wright apologised afterwards.[15][16]
Zonneveld earned his first win at the PDC World Darts Championship when he defeated Darren Webster 3–1 in the first round of the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship.[17]
Zonneveld reached his first European Tour semi-final when he defeated Jonny Clayton to progress to the semi-finals of the 2024 Czech Darts Open.[18] He lost 7–6 to Kim Huybrechts, missing a match dart to make the final and ending his chances of qualifying for the 2024 European Championship.[19]
Zonneveld reached his first PDC ranking final at Players Championship 22 on the 2025 PDC Pro Tour.
He lost 8–6 to Sebastian Białecki.[20]
Zonneveld did not have a darting nickname until 2021, when he chose the name “Triple Z”. In an interview with Sportsnieuws.nl, Zonneveld confirmed it was a shortening of “Zig Zag Zonneveld”, which some commentators had called him due to his tendency to move his elbows when throwing.[21]
Outside of darts, Zonneveld worked as an accountant;[22] he quit his job in 2023 after retaining his tour-card at Q-School.[23] He has also worked as a darts analyst for Viaplay.[23]
World Championship results
[edit]
Performance timeline
[edit]
PDC European Tour
PDC Players Championships
| Performance Table Legend | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Won the tournament | F | Finalist | SF | Semifinalist | QF | Quarterfinalist | #R RR Prel. |
Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round |
DQ | Disqualified |
| DNQ | Did not qualify | DNP | Did not participate | WD | Withdrew | NH | Tournament not held | NYF | Not yet founded | ||
- ^ “Niels Zonneveld PDPA Profile”. PDPA. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “PDC Order of Merit”. PDPA. 30 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ “Niels Zonneveld | PDC”. PDC.tv. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “2018 PDC Unicorn Development Tour 3-4”. PDC.tv. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “Niels Zonneveld seals PDC Tour card at 2019 European Qualifying School”. Sky Sports News. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “PDC World Championship PDPA Rest of the World Qualifier”. DartConnect. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “Niels Zonneveld plaatst zich voor WK Darts” [Niels Zonneveld qualifies for the World Darts Championship]. Uitgeest Online. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Allen, Dave (13 December 2020). “Stars old & new preparing for Ally Pally experience”. PDC.tv. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Hynes, Robert (16 December 2020). “Willie O’Connor sets up all-Ireland clash at World Darts Championship with win over Niels Zonneveld”. Irish Mirror. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “World Series of Darts Finals: Maik Kuivenhoven, Niels Zonneveld, Mervyn King and Kim Huybrechts all qualify”. Sky Sports News. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “Gary Anderson stunned by Niels Zonneveld in Amsterdam”. RTÉ. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Brandhorst, Stephan (31 October 2021). “Uitzinnige Niels Zonneveld vestigt naam bij het grote publiek tijdens ‘fantastisch dartsweekend’“ [Ecstatic Niels Zonneveld makes a name for himself among the general public during ‘fantastic darts weekend’]. NH (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “Zonneveld stuurt wereldkampioen Wright naar huis, missers kosten Van Gerwen de kop” [Zonneveld sends world champion Wright home, mistakes cost Van Gerwen the lead]. AD. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ Marinussen, Tijn (24 September 2022). “Zonneveld stunt in België: Wright onderuit in decider” [Zonneveld upset in Belgium: Wright loses in decider]. Darts Actueel. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Gill, Samuel (26 June 2024). ““That was kind of the ultimate revenge”: Niels Zonneveld looks back at Peter Wright European Tour incident”. Darts News. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ “Niels Zonneveld reageert op boks-incident met Peter Wright” [Niels Zonneveld responds to fist bump incident with Peter Wright]. Double Top. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Wood, Kieran (17 December 2023). “Niels Zonneveld triumphs in incredibly dramatic finale to take first World Darts Championship win”. Darts News. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Gill, Samuel (20 October 2024). “Niels Zonneveld and Kim Huybrechts set for unseeded semi-final at Czech Darts Open”. Darts News. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Gorton, Josh (20 October 2024). “Relentless Humphries powers to second Czech Darts Open crown”. PDC.tv. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ “Players Championship darts: Polish star Sebastian Bialecki defies Cameron Menzies and Gian van Veen in Hildesheim win”. Sky Sports. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ “Darter Niels Zonneveld heeft eindelijk een nickname en wij weten wat het is”. sportnieuws.nl. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ “Niels Zonneveld werkt ook als accountant”. sportnieuws.nl. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b “Zonneveld quits job: I want to put everything on my darts career“. Dartsnews.com. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
