The Sports Guru
Gian van Veen is through to his first World Matchplay semi-final, but the manner of his win over James Wade raises an obvious question: can he live with Gerwyn Price, who looked in devastating form just an hour earlier? Read on to see why Saturday's semi-final in Blackpool might already be lopsided before a dart is thrown.
Gian van Veen is one win away from becoming world No 2. He got there by playing, in his own words, terribly. The 16-13 quarter-final win over James Wade in Blackpool took Van Veen into his first World Matchplay semi-final, but it did so on the back of a 93 average that he described as "so terrible" straight after the match. An hour or so earlier, on the same stage, Gerwyn Price had posted 102.78 and fired 10 maximums to see off Ross Smith 16-12. The two players who will meet on Saturday arrive at wildly different points on the form curve, and that gap - not the fact of Van Veen's victory itself - is the story now sitting over the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay.
A Nervy Finish for Van Veen
Neither player was at his best through the first half of the contest, but the quarter-final came alive when Wade fired four consecutive legs from 11-7 down to draw level. Van Veen had led 9-6 at the third interval on the back of a 160 checkout, one of the few genuinely high-class moments in an otherwise scrappy match. He stretched that to 11-7 before Wade hit back, taking out a 79 finish on the bullseye to begin the recovery, then a 121 finish - also on the bull - to lock the match at 12-12.
From there the two traded blows. Van Veen took out 118 to move ahead again, Wade answered with another 121 finish to break straight back, and it was Van Veen who found the composure at the death - a 75 checkout to move within a leg, then a 13-darter to close out victory. "It felt very poor," Van Veen told Sky Sports. "My scoring was so terrible. I was so lucky James wasn't scoring as well and my finishing got me through. A win is a win."
That last line is the honest version of events. Van Veen's checkout nerve carried him past a struggling opponent; his scoring did not. He called the 118 finish the one he "really needed", and hoped simply to "be a lot better" by Saturday - not the language of a player expecting to walk into the semi-final with confidence.
Price's Ruthless Response
Price's route to the same semi-final looked nothing like it. The former world No 1 recovered from losing a 12-8 lead - Smith having earlier taken out a 100 checkout to avoid falling 8-5 down, before later reeling off a four-leg streak of his own, including a 68 checkout and a 13-darter, to level the match at 12-12 - and then won four consecutive legs to close out a 16-12 victory. A 13-darter on top, a bullseye 121 checkout, a 91 finish for an 11-dart break, then a 14-darter to seal it: this was Price at his most efficient when it mattered.
"Ross played a decent game as well so it's nice to play well when someone is playing well," Price said afterwards. "For him to get back to 12-12, I thought 'here we go again' but thankfully I rode off four legs on the bounce."
It is his fourth televised semi-final of the season, following the World Masters, the UK Open and the Premier League, and his first World Matchplay semi-final since 2022. Consistency at this level is not new for Price. Doing it with 10 maximums and a 102-plus average against a player who was matching him for large spells makes it a more pointed warning for whoever stands across the oche next.
Why the Form Gap Matters
None of this means Van Veen cannot win on Saturday. He is the world No 3, he found the big finishes when the match demanded them against Wade, and reaching this semi-final at all takes him one win away from climbing to world No 2. But darts at this level rarely rewards a repeat of a 93 average against an opponent hitting 10 maximums. Van Veen's own assessment of his display - "so terrible" - was not false modesty; it was a fair description of a match he mostly survived rather than controlled. Price, by contrast, has now shown he can absorb a rival's mid-match surge and still finish the job with a run of legs that shut the door.
The scrutiny on Van Veen is not really about the result against Wade. It is about whether the version of him that showed up in that quarter-final - scratchy scoring rescued by clutch doubles - can survive 33 legs against a player who has just proven he does not need rescuing.
What's Next in Blackpool
The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay continues at the Winter Gardens on Saturday, with both semi-finals played over the best-of-33 legs, ahead of Sunday's best-of-35 final. Price faces Van Veen in the first semi-final, while defending champion Luke Littler takes on Dirk van Duijvenbode, who has reached the last four at this event for the first time. Whoever wins Saturday's Price-Van Veen tie will meet the Littler-Van Duijvenbode winner for the title. Live coverage continues from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Action, moving to Sky Sports Main Event from around 9pm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Van Veen won 16-13 in their World Matchplay quarter-final in Blackpool.
Price averaged 102.78 and hit 10 maximums in a 16-12 win.
A win over Price would move Van Veen one step closer to climbing to world No 2, per the match report.
Defending champion Luke Littler faces Dirk van Duijvenbode, who has reached the last four at this event for the first time.
Both semi-finals are best-of-33 legs, with Sunday's final played over best-of-35.
Related reading: James Wade's ugly win buys him one more shot at Blackpool glory and Cameron Menzies turns his biggest weakness into Blackpool's biggest shock.
Research: Our wider editorial research consults online reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other reputable sources. Story inspiration: Sky Sports' original report.