Price Warns Competitors Over Champion Littler

Gerwyn Price has secured his place in the World Matchplay semi-finals at the Winter Gardens. The Welsh player, who is often called the "Ice Man," defeated Ross Smith in a close quarter-final match. Price established a strong lead of 12-8, but Smith fought back to level the score at 12-12. However, Price finished the game with four consecutive leg wins to achieve a 16-12 victory. Although he was pleased with the win, Price admitted that he felt frustrated about missing several opportunities.

Price will now play Gian van Veen, who defeated James Wade in another tense match. Van Veen won with a score of 16-13, despite losing a significant four-leg lead during the game. The Dutch player, who holds the world number three ranking, scored a brilliant 160 checkout. He later hit a crucial 118 finish, which helped him secure the victory over Wade. After the match, Van Veen confessed that his scoring had been terrible and that he felt lucky.

The winner of this semi-final will progress to face either Luke Littler or Dirk van Duijvenbode. Littler is currently the tournament favourite and hopes to defend his World Matchplay title this weekend. The world number one showed outstanding form by defeating Josh Rock with a high 109.57 average. He is scheduled to play Van Duijvenbode, who has reached his first semi-final in Blackpool.

Price has warned that other players often make matches far too easy for the defending champion. He pointed out that opponents must play their own rhythm if they want to defeat Littler. Fans can watch both semi-finals live on Sky Sports Action starting at 7.30 pm on Saturday.