Price beats Smith to reach Matchplay semi-finals

Gerwyn Price produced a clinical display to beat Ross Smith 16-12 in the World Matchplay quarter-finals at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. The Welshman appeared in control at 12-8 before Smith fought back to level at 12-12. Price then raised his game again to seal victory with a 102.78 average, aiming 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 get back to 12-12, I thought 'here we go again', but thankfully I rode off four legs on the bounce."

Price will play Gian van Veen of the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Saturday after the Dutchman beat James Wade 16-13. Van Veen seized an early lead and had a three-leg cushion at 11-7, but Wade battled back to 11-11. Wade kept pegging Van Veen back until the third seed produced a 118 checkout to break Wade's throw to go 14-12 up before wrapping up victory.

"It was a tight battle, but I'm glad I got the job done," Van Veen said. "I was so lucky James wasn't scoring as well and my finishing got me through. Hopefully in the semis I will be a lot better."

Defending champion and world number one Luke Littler faces unseeded Dirk van Duijvenbode in the other semi-final, after they won through on Thursday. Follow live coverage of the semi-finals on the BBC Sport website and app from 19:30 BST on Saturday.