Niels Zonneveld

Career 2018–2021 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. At the end of the 2018 Development Tour season, he finished 9th on the Order of Merit ranking. Zonneveld attended European Q-School in 2019, where he won his PDC Tour Card on Day 1, beating Christian Gödl 5–1 in the final. 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. This was his debut at the competition. He went out in the first round, being whitewashed by William O'Connor 3–0 in sets. After the World Championship, he regained his Tour Card at 2021 Q-School. Zonneveld qualified for the 2021 World Series of Darts Finals as one of the four Tour Card holder qualifiers, where he had his deepest run at a PDC major event. He reached the quarter finals, including a 6–4 victory over Gary Anderson in the second round. His run was ended by Krzysztof Ratajski.

2022–2025 Zonneveld reached the fifth round of the 2022 UK Open, losing 10–9 to Keane Barry. At the 2022 Belgian Darts Open, he earned an upset win over 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. 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. He lost 6–3 to Andrew Gilding in the third round.

After a 3–0 loss to Lewy Williams in the first round of the 2023 World Championship, Zonneveld regained his PDC Tour Card at 2023 Q-School. He earned his first win at the PDC World Championship when he defeated Darren Webster 3–1 in the first round of the 2024 event. He reached his first European Tour semi-final when he defeated Jonny Clayton to progress to the semi-finals of the 2024 Czech Darts Open. 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. Zonneveld reached his first PDC ranking final at Players Championship 22 on the 2025 PDC Pro Tour. He lost 8–6 to Sebastian Białecki.

2026 Following a 3–0 win over Haupai Puha, Zonneveld defeated Michael Smith 3–1 in the second round of the 2026 World Championship, advancing to the third round of the tournament for the first time. He was eliminated by fifth seed Jonny Clayton, who triumphed 4–3 in a deciding set. In March 2026, he reached successive European Tour semi-finals at the European Darts Trophy and the Belgian Darts Open, achieving a 6–5 victory over reigning world champion Luke Littler in the latter. He made his World Matchplay debut in July, losing a sudden-death leg to Stephen Bunting in the first round.

Personal life 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.

Zonneveld grew up on the same street as fellow darts player Wessel Nijman in Uitgeest. Outside of darts, he previously worked as an accountant; he quit his job in 2023 after retaining his PDC Tour Card at Q-School. He has also worked as a darts analyst for Viaplay.

World Championship results PDC 2021: First round (lost to William O'Connor 0–3) 2023: First round (lost to Lewy Williams 0–3) 2024: Second round (lost to Ross Smith 1–3) 2025: First round (lost to Robert Owen 1–3) 2026: Third round (lost to Jonny Clayton 3–4)

Performance timeline

PDC European Tour

PDC Players Championships