World Matchplay: Michael Smith and Michael Van Gerwen reach semi-finals

Van Gerwen is eyeing a fourth title at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool and is into the last four after seeing off Andrew Gilding 16-10.

Van Gerwen surprisingly lost to Gilding in the UK Open final last year and must have feared another upset when he saw ‘Goldfinger’ have a dart at double 10 to take a 7-3 lead.

Gilding missed, though, and Van Gerwen soon pounced, with a 136 checkout kickstarting a thrilling run of legs, which saw him turn an 8-6 deficit into a 14-8 advantage.

He was able to get over the finish line from there to set up a seventh last-four appearance.

Van Gerwen was unhappy with his finishing on the doubles and also found Gilding’s pace difficult to contend with.

“It was a really tough game, everyone knows to play him is tough, he is very slow,” he said.

“Sometimes it is a bit boring to play, but what a darts player. You have to be on the top of your game. It was tough I have to admit that. Sometimes it was difficult.

“I missed too many doubles, it was hard but in the end I found another gear and was able to win the game.

“I know I can do a lot better. I am battling my own battles.”

Van Gerwen will have to up his game when he meets Smith in the semi-final.

Smith did what he needed to do as he demolished Rob Cross, who will have nightmares about double 16.

Smith has had a barren time since his World Championship win 18 months ago, failing to win a major title since.

But winning a Pro Tour event and teaming up with Luke Humphries to win the World Cup of Darts seems to have brought ‘Bully Boy’ back to life and he is a contender to win a first Matchplay crown.

He was the better player but was the recipient of some wayward finishing, with Cross getting the yips on double 16.

The 2019 champion missed 12 attempts at the bed and it proved costly as Smith swept to a landslide 16-7 win.

“I just said to Rob his doubles early on were non-existent and I was just stepping in and taking my shots,” he said.

“If he is not going to take them I’ll take them all day long and now I’m in the semi-final.

“Every time I turned around I thought he would miss because he was having three darts at 32 and Rob Cross doesn’t miss those.”