Price Warns Rivals as He Reaches Last Four

Gerwyn Price has secured his spot in the World Matchplay semi-finals at Blackpool's Winter Gardens after defeating Ross Smith 16-12. Despite establishing a comfortable 12-8 lead, Price was briefly held at 12-12 before finishing with a four-leg burst to claim victory. The Welshman, who registered a 102.78 average, admitted he felt frustrated by the opportunities he had wasted during the match. Price is scheduled to face world number three Gian van Veen in Saturday's opening semi-final.

Van Veen advanced to the last four by defeating James Wade 16-13 in another close quarter-final encounter. Although he had established a solid lead, the Dutch player blew his advantage before sealing the victory with a 118 finish. Afterwards, Van Veen admitted to reporters that his scoring had been terrible, conceding he was fortunate that Wade also struggled. The winner of this semi-final will progress to Sunday's best-of-35 final, facing either Luke Littler or Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Littler remains the pre-tournament favourite to defend his title, having recently posted a dominant 109.57 average against Josh Rock. The young champion has been in remarkable form, remaining unbeaten in matches over 20 legs since his World Championship final defeat. Furthermore, Littler defeated Price in all their Premier League meetings this season, as well as at the World Masters.

Nevertheless, Price insists that the defending champion can be stopped if players refuse to play into his hands. He argued that some opponents make matches too easy for Littler by simply allowing him to find his natural rhythm. Saturday's best-of-33 semi-finals will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with coverage starting on Sky Sports Action.