"We're carrying the flag for Belgium, and I'm so proud of him" - Van den Bergh readies himself for De Decker duel in Grand Prix semis

Dimitri Van den Bergh continues to have a chance at a second major title in 2024. 'The Dreammaker' defeated Joe Cullen 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester and will now meet his compatriot Mike De Decker for a place in the final.

Van den Bergh came back to win 3-1. He is now into his first World Grand Prix semi-final hitting seven 180's en route. After winning the UK Open earlier this season, Van den Bergh who hasn't performed since could yet find himself with a second major title this weekend.

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"My timing was key tonight but Joe didn't show how good he can be and in a few moments I stepped up," said Van den Bergh in his post-match press conference afterwards. "I wasn't feeling at my best but tomorrow I'm in the semi-finals and I'm going to give my opponent a game."

Dimitri Van den Bergh takes on Mike De Decker in the semifinals of the World Grand Prix

As mentioned, that opponent in the semifinals, is Van den Bergh's Belgian compatriot Mike De Decker, who has has whitewashed Gary Anderson and James Wade already this week. For De Decker, it's the first time he's gotten this far at a major but Van den Bergh, who knows his friend's capabilities all too well, is not going to take anything for granted. "Mike is on fire, he's doing strong stuff on a consistent basis and I need to be on top of my game - but I think I've give myself a boost," says Van den Bergh. "We've known each other a long time and we know that at the minute we're carrying the flag for Belgium, and I'm so proud of him and me. It's brilliant and I'm loving it."

The winner of the match between Van den Bergh and De Decker will take on the winner of the other semifinal between Luke Humphries and Ryan Joyce in the final on Sunday night. If Van den Bergh and Humphries reach the final, it would be a repeat of their UK Open final earlier this year, when Van den Bergh prevailed 11-10.

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