Phil Taylor and James Wade have progressed through to the semi-finals of the World Matchplay in Blackpool.

In the opening game of the night at the Winter Gardens, Taylor was forced to withstand a barrage of 180's from Justin Pipe in the early stages as the two players shared the opening 10 legs.

However, the 16-time world champion maintained the pressure on his opponent to grind out a 16-10 triumph.

The momentum frequently swung both ways during James Wade's battle with Simon Whitlock, before the duo reached 15-15.

But it was Wade who held his nerve the better of the two players before hitting double 10 to seal a memorable 18-16 victory.