World Matchplay Darts: Gian van Veen edges past James Wade to book semi-final showdown with Gerwyn Price in Blackpool
Gerwyn Price defeated Ross Smith 16-12 before Gian Van Veen beat James Wade 16-13 to also reach the semi-finals; winner of Saturday's clash will face Luke Littler or Dirk van Duijvenbode in the final at Blackpool's Winter Gardens; watch live on Sky Sports
Saturday 25 July 2026 00:04, UK
Gian van Veen set up a semi-final showdown with Gerwyn Price at the World Matchplay after an eventful 16-13 win over James Wade in Blackpool.
Both players were nowhere near the best during the first half of the contest, only for the quarter-final to be sparked into life when Wade fired four consecutive legs from 11-7 down to level the match.
The scoring significantly improved as the pair traded ton-plus checkouts, only for Van Veen - who only averaged 93 in the match - to silence boos by winning the final two legs and reach the last four for the first time.
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The world No 3 will need to improve in the semi-final against Price, who posted a 102.78 average and fired 10 maximums during a 16-12 win over Ross Smith in the earlier quarter-final.
Price recovered from losing a 12-8 lead to rattle off four consecutive legs and reach his first semi-final at the World Matchplay since 2022, with Saturday's other semi-final seeing defending champion Luke Littler face Dirk van Duijvenbode.
'I played pretty decent!' - Price holds off Smith to reach last four
Price is through to his fourth televised semi-final of the season, following on from the World Masters, UK Open and Premier League, with an impressing late scoring run pulling him past Smith.
The first three legs went with throw, with Price finding a 117 finish to hold in the second and grabbing a three-leg burst from the fourth before Smith responded with a 12-darter.
Smith battled to keep up with Price and took out a 100 checkout to avoid falling 8-5 down, then missed a chance to level the match in the next ahead of the Welshman reaching the third break with a three-leg advantage.
Both players traded breaks of throw ahead of Price edging a fourth consecutive session, only for Smith to take out 68 and follow it with a 13-darter during a four-leg steak that levelled the contest.
Price broke back with a 13-darter on top and nailed the bullseye for a 121 checkout in the next, with the former world No 1 taking out a 91 finish for an 11-dart break and closing out victory with a 14-darter.
"Ross [Smith] played a decent game as well so it's nice to play well when someone is playing well," Price told Sky Sports. "It gives you a bit of confidence going into the next round.
"For him to get back to 12-12, I thought 'here we go again' but thankfully I rode off four legs on the bounce. The 91 double-double got the blood boiling. I'm thankful I played pretty decent tonight."
'I need to be better!' - Van Veen leaves it late to beat Wade
A sluggish second quarter-final saw both players average around 90 during the early mini sessions, where Van Veen fired a 160 checkout to move 9-6 up at the third interval.
Van Veen wasted darts to extend his lead but made amends in the following two legs, moving 11-7 up, before Wade sparked a comeback by taking out a 79 finish on the bullseye.
Wade won the next before following a 121 finish on the bullseye by holding throw for a fourth straight leg, with the match locked at 12-12 until Van Veen took out 118 for the second of back-to-back legs.
'The Machine' responded with a 121 finish to break back before Van Veen nailed a 75 checkout to move to within a leg of victory, then closed out his win with a 13-darter to move one win away from climbing to world No 2.
"It felt very poor!" Van Veen told Sky Sports. "My scoring was so terrible. I was so lucky James [Wade] wasn't scoring as well and my finishing got me through. A win is a win.
"The 118 finish - I really needed it. It was a tight battle but I'm glad I got the job done.
"Hopefully tomorrow I will be a lot better."
What's next?
The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay continues at the iconic Winter Gardens on Saturday, with the two semi-finals being played over the best-of-33 to decide who progresses through to Sunday's best-of-35 final.
Defending champion Luke Littler continues his bid for back-to-back titles when he faces Dirk van Duijvenbode, through to the last four at this event for the first time, with Price facing Van Veen in the first semi-final.
Who will win this year's World Matchplay Darts? Watch throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Action and around 9pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
