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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Gian van Veen fired in a magnificent 160 checkout to pull away from James Wade and take a 9-6 lead in their quarter-final
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.
More to follow…
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 other 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.
