World Matchplay Darts: Gerwyn Price sets up Gian van Veen semi-final

Gerwyn Price produced a clinical display to beat Ross Smith 16-12 in the World Matchplay quarter-finals, setting up a meeting with Gian van Veen in the last four.

The Welshman looked to be in control of the last-eight tie at Blackpool’s Winter Garden before Smith fought back to level at 12-8.

However, Price managed to raise his game again to win with an average of 102.78 as he bids to reach the tournament final for the first time.

“Ross played a decent game as well, so it’s nice to play well when someone is playing well. It gives you a bit of confidence going into the next round,” Price told Sky Sports.

“For him to come back to 12-12, I thought ‘here we go again’, but luckily I gave up four legs on the bounce.”

Price will play Van Veen of the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Saturday after the Dutchman beat James Wade 16-13.

Van Veen grabbed the upper hand early and had a three-leg cushion at 11-7, only for Wade to fight back and level at 11-11.

The Englishman held off Wade van Veen until the third seed made a 118 checkout to break Wade’s throw to take a 14-12 lead.

“It was a tough battle, but I’m glad I got the job done,” Van Veen said.

“I was very lucky James wasn’t scoring as well and my finishing got me through. Hopefully I’ll be much better in the semi-finals.”

Defending champion and world number one Luke Littler will face unseeded Dirk van Duyvenbode in the other semi-final after a win on Thursday.

Follow live coverage of the semi-final on the BBC Sport website and app from 19:30 BST on Saturday.