The World Matchplay is nearing its completion and there are just four players still standing, all aiming to get their hands on the trophy in Blackpool on Sunday.
Gerwyn Price, Danny Noppert, two-time winner Michael van Gerwen and 2020 champion Dimitri van den Bergh are the quartet of stars with their sights set on the title.
What | World Matchplay Darts, semi-finals |
| Where | Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
| When | 20:10, Saturday 23rd July |
How to watch | Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action |
| Odds | Gerwyn Price 8/15 v Danny Noppert 6/4; Dimitri van den Bergh 6/5 v Michael van Gerwen 4/6 |
Iceman back at number one
Gerwyn Price has returned to the number one ranking in the world after reaching the semi-final stage of the World Matchplay for the first time, at his eighth attempt.
The Iceman overcame Martin Schindler 10-8 before beating Dave Chisnall 11-8 to set up a quarter-final with Jose De Sousa.
The Welshman came out on top of a thriller over the Portuguese Man O'Scores, 16-14, averaging 104.64 along the way.
With that victory, Price returned once more to the number one spot on the PDC Order of Merit, overtaking world champion Peter Wright.
Noppert on the rise
There haven't been many players whose stars have risen as much as Danny Noppert's has in the last 12 months.
The Dutchman took his first major earlier in the year, winning the UK Open, and is now through to the World Matchplay semi-finals for the first time.
Noppert saw off Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney before coming through a quarter-final against his World Cup team-mate, Dirk van Duijvenbode, 16-11.
Noppert last met Price in the World Cup in July, with the Welshman coming out on top 4-1.
The Iceman is favoured to make it through to the final with another win over Noppert, with a 17-15 Price victory available at 10/1.
Mighty Mike on the march
Michael van Gerwen is back in fine form and recovered from a poor first-round performance against Adrian Lewis to put in a dominant display against Joe Cullen, before fighting off a spirited comeback from Nathan Aspinall in the last eight to reach the semi-final.
MvG is a two-time winner at the Winter Gardens, in 2015 and 2016, but hasn't reached the final since then and will be looking to win his second big title of the year, following his Premier League success.
The Green Machine will also take plenty of confidence from his head-to-head record against his semi-final opponent Dimitri van den Bergh. Van Gerwen has won six of the last seven meetings between the pair, with the other ending in a draw.
Dancing Dimi's strong tournament form to the fore
Dimitri van den Bergh has a rock-solid record in the World Matchplay and has continued that good form again at this year's event.
The Belgian won this tournament two years ago, beating Gary Anderson 18-10 in the final to secure his first ever major title.
Van den Bergh followed that up by reaching the final again last year, where he was beaten 18-9 by Wright. He got revenge for that result this time around, however, with a 16-14 victory over Snakebite, registering a 102 average in the process.
That came after wins over Jonny Clayton and Rowby-John Rodriguez, which means that Van den Bergh has been victorious in 12 of the 13 matches in his World Matchplay career, given that his win in 2020 was on debut.
Now, he faces Van Gerwen and it will be seen whether his strong tournament record or van Gerwen's head-to-head advantage proves pivotal.
Van den Bergh is 6/5 to get the win and 4/9 to throw the most 180's in the match.
Iceman and MVG can set up tantalising final
Noppert and Van den Bergh have to be respected in their semi-finals against Price and Van Gerwen, but the cream usually rises to the top at this tournament and the Iceman and MvG look solid propositions to set up a blockbuster finale in Blackpool.
Price averaged 104.64 in his quarter-final win over De Sousa and any replication of that form would make him very difficult to beat, so to extract a bit more value from the selection, Price can be taken on the -2.5 handicap at 10/11.
In the other semi-final, Van Gerwen's recent successes over Dancing Dimitri should give him the advantage and should see him make it through to the final.
MvG showed his class when dealing with boos from the crowd in his quarter-final win over Aspinall and can fight off a spirited Van den Bergh to reach the last two, with a 17-14 victory priced at 10/1.
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