Gade Moves On To Semi-Finals

The English interest in the tournament is down to just three, whilst the Danish and German teams have plenty of interest in most of the events going into the weekend.

Mens Singles:

Top seed Peter Gade was in fine form after his 3 game scare against Raul Must yesterday, his opponent was the 8^th seeded Carl Baxter of England for a place in the last 4. 35 minutes is all it took for Gade to win the match by the score of 21-14, 21-11. The top seed Dane will play Marc Zweibler of Germany in the semi final after the German 3^rd seed beat 5^th seeded Dicky Palyama in their quarterfinal match. After dropping the opening game, Zweibler battled back to take the match 19-21, 21-10, 21-16.

The other semi final is between the 2^nd seeded Jan O Jorgensen, who defeated fellow Dane Joachim Persson in his quarterfinal 21-13, 21-17 to reach the last 4. He plays the 4^th seeded Englishman Rajiv Ouseph after he defeated the final unseeded player in the draw, Ireland’s Scott Evans in three games 15-21, 23-21, 21-12, with Scott Evans having a match point at 21-20 in the second game.

Women’s Singles

Pi Hongyan continues to live up to her top seed with a three game victory over the 5^th seeded Petya Nedelcheva, winning 21-15, 14-21, 21-12 to book her place in the semi final against Juliane Schenk of Germany, who beat the 7^th seeded Judith Meulendijks in three games also, winning 21-16, 16-21, 21-15 to set up the first semi final.

The second semi final sees the 6^th seeded Ella Diehl take on the 2^nd seeded Tine Rasmussen. The Russian defeated 4^th seeded Jie Yao in two games, 21-18, 21-17 to set up a match against the Danish 2^nd seeded. She defeated Scotland’s Susan Egelstaff in two games also, 21-8, 21-16.

Doubles:

The Danish domination in the men’s doubles continues, with all 3 seeded pairs safely progressing to the last 4 without the loss of a game at the quarterfinal stage. They are joined the semi finals by the German pair of Michael Fuchs and Ingo Kindervater, who defeated Peter Mills and Marcus Ellis of England in three games to progress to the last 4.

3 of the 4 seeds are still in the women’s doubles draw, with only the 3^rd seeded French pair of Choinet and Rasadi falling to English pair Agathangelou and Olver in three games.  The unseeded English ladies play top seeds Nedelcheva and Russkikh for a place in Sunday’s final. The other semi final is between Danes Damkjear Kruse and Schjott-Kristensen, seeded 4 and Vislova and Sorokina of Russia, seeded 2.

The top three seeds in the mixed doubles have been joined in the semi finals by Belgian duo Claes and Descamps, they defeated Kindervater and Overzier in three games to set up a match against top seeded Laybourn and Rytter Juhl of Denmark. The other semi final is between Poland’s Mateusiak and Kostiuczyk and England’s Robertson and Wallwork, with both pairs coming through their quarterfinal matches in two games.

Friday’s Results

Clark Withdraws

The doubles competitions began play this morning in Manchester, as well the 3^rd round of the singles, with no more seeds falling in either event. The big news of the day for the local fans was Anthony Clark’s withdrawal from both doubles events.

Mens Singles:

Peter Gade is through to the last 8, but was forced to work for his win against Raul Must of Estonia. The Estonian shocked the top seed and took the second game to set up a 3^rd game, but after 69 minutes the top seed progressed into tomorrow’s quarterfinals, winning 21-15, 19-21, 21-18. Gade will play Carl Baxter in the last 8, after the English 8^th seed defeated Jan Vondra 21-16, 21-9 in his 3^rd round match today.

There also wins for Rajiv Ouseph and Dicky Palyama, both players winning in three games to book their place in the last 8. England were hopeful of a 3^rd player in the last 8 as Andrew Smith took on Marc Zweibler of Germany in the last 16, but after sharing the opening 10 points, Zweibler took the next 8 before Andrew Smith retired through injury trailing 13-5 in the first game.

The last unseeded player in the draw is Ireland’s Scott Evans, who plays Rajiv Ouseph in the last 8 tomorrow. The 4^th quarterfinal is an all-Danish affair, with Joachim Persson (Seeded 6) playing Jan O Jorgensen (Seeded 2) for a place in Saturday’s semi final.

Women’s Singles

All 8 seeds have safely progressed into the last 8, with only 6^th seed Ella Diehl dropping a game so far. Pi Hongyan continues to dominate her half of the draw, today defeating Camilla Sorensen of Denmark, 21-18, 21-5 to book her place against Petya Nedelcheva, who defeated England’s Elizabeth Cann 21-13, 21-13 to progress into tomorrow’s quarterfinal.

Juliane Schenk will play Judith Meulendijks tomorrow in the second quarterfinal, 3^rd seeded Schenk defeated Switzerland’s Jeanine Cicognini 21-19, 21-9 whilst 7^th seeded Meulendijks beat Iceland’s Ranga Ingolfsdottir 21-15, 21-10 to book her place in tomorrow’s quarter final.

The bottom half of the draw sees Ella Diehl, seeded 6^th play Yao Jie of the Netherlands for a place in the last 4. The Dutch 4^th seed beat Karin Schnaase of Germany 21-16, 21-7 to progress whist the 6^th seeded Russian had to come from a game down to beat England’s Helen Davies 17-21, 21-16, 21-11.

Susan Egelstaff, seeded 8 is through to play Tine Rasmussen of Denmark, the 2^nd seed in the last of the quarterfinals tomorrow. Both ladies have failed to drop a game getting to this stage of the competition, with Susan Egelstaff dropping 4 less points to this stage and been on court just 3 minutes less than her Danish opponent.

Doubles:

In the Men’s Doubles, all 3 of the seeded Danish pairs have safely made into the last 8. Only the pre-tournament withdrawal of the 3^rd seeded Robertson and Clark means that there isn’t a full compliment of seeds in the last 8. However there is English interest still, with Peter Mills and Marcus Ellis through to the last 8 to play German pair Michael Fuchs and Ingo Kindervater.

All 4 seeds in the Women’s Doubles are through, with neither of the four pairs losing a game on route to the last 8. The top seeded Nedelcheva and Russkikh play Frier Kristiansen and Ropke of Denmark, who progressed to the last 8 with a 21-10, 21-1 win over their Greek opponents in Round 2. The 2^nd seeded Russian duo of Vislova and Sorokina play the Scottish pair of Emma Mason and Imogen Bankier who failed to drop a game in both their matches today.

Only 4 seeds remain from the 8 that begun the mixed doubles, top seeds and current world champions Laybourn and Rytter Juhl safely progressed through both matches today to reach the last 8 and are the only seed remaining in the top half of the draw after losing Middleton and Agathangelou (Seeded 6), Durkin and Vislova (Seeded 4) and Adcock and White (Seeded 7) in the opening round this morning. Jenny Wallwork and Nathan Robertson are the last English pair left in the competition, the 3^rd seeds play Sorokina and Nikolaenko of Russia for a place in the last 4.

Thursday’s Results

Evans Upsets Pang

7 of the seeds in the men’s singles have safely progressed into the last 16 whilst all 8 seeds in the women’s event are also through to tomorrow’s 3^rd round.

Mens Singles:

Peter Gade is safely into round 2 after a comfortable 21-8, 21-17 win over Scotland’s Kieran Merrilees. He plays Estonia’s Raul Must in the last 16. Jan Jorgensen had to come from a game down against Petr Koukal, winning the match 19-21, 21-14, 21-18 to set up a 3^rd round match against Belarus’ Yauheni Yakauchuk.

There was no problem for the 3^rd seed Marc Zweibler against Raj Popat of Wales, winning 21-9, 21-8 to set up a match against England’s Andrew Smith for a place in the quarter final. There was more local success as Carl Baxter and Rajiv Ouseph also progressed to the last 16, 4^th seeded Ouseph plays Finland’s Ville Lang whilst 8^th seed Carl Baxter plays Jan Vondra of the Czech Republic.

The only seed to fall today was 7^th seed Eric Pang, who lost to Ireland’s Scott Evans 21-10, 23-21.  This was the first time Evans has beaten Pang, Evans now faces Kestutis Navickas.

Women’s Singles

Pi Hongyan started her campaign off with an excellent 21-5, 21-9 win to set up a Round 3 clash with Denmark’s Camilla Sorensen, who also won by the same scoreline in her 2^nd round match. Petya Nedelcheva, seeded 5 saw off the challenge of Lianne Tan in ominous fashion, winning 21-8, 21-6. The 5^th seed will play England’s Elizabeth Cann for a place in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

3^rd seeded Juliane Schenk is also through, with a comfortable 21-10, 21-15 win over Speia Silvester of Slovenia. 7^th seed Judith Meulendijks is also through, with a 21-8, 21-12 victory over Simone Prutsch of Austria. Russia’s Ella Diehl will play England’s Helen Davies in the last 16 after both recorded two game victories in their second round matches.

8^th seed Susan Egelstaff of Scotland is still on course to meet Tine Rasmussen in the quarter final, the Scot winning her second round match 21-13, 21-13 to set up a 3^rd round match against Telma Santos of Portugal. Rasmussen came through her second round match against Andrea Zvorc of Croatia easily, winning 21-10, 21-9 to set up a 3^rd round match against Bulgaria’s Linda Zetchiri.

Mixed Doubles

Few surprises within the mixed doubles draws, the only seeds to fall today were Russia’s Vitalij Durkin and Nina Vislova who lost out to Germany’s Ingo Kindervater and Birgit Overzier 21-18, 21-19, and Denmark’s Mikkel Delbo Larsen and Mie Schjøtt-Kristensen who fell to Russia’s Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeria Sorokina in three extremely close games 21-23, 21-18, 21-19.  Also of note was the withdrawal of Anthony Clark and Heather Olver.

Wednesday’s Results

Swiss Super Series 2010 Draws

The fourth Super Series of the year will have a new winner in the men’s singles, with Lee Chong Wei pulling out after his All England success at the weekend. Tine Rasmussen has also pulled out after winning the women’s singles at the All Englands. For some players, it will be a chance to continue on from their excellent run from last week, Kenichi Tago was set to meet Lee Chong Wei in Round 2, but will have a much better chance to progress to a potential quarter final against Jan O Jorgensen.

Mens Singles:

Lin Dan is the top seed left in the draw and will hope to have a better run than at the All Englands last week, his first round match is against Polish #1 Przemyslaw Wacha and has a potential matchup with Peter Gade in the last 8. 3^rd seed Chen Jin begins his campaign against Marc Zweibler of Germany and 4^th seed Taufik Hidayat will start against a qualifier.

Women’s Singles

Top seed Wang Yihan will attempt to put her finals defeat to Tine Rasmussen behind her with a first round win over Jie Yao of the Netherlands. Susan Egelstaff will play the 2^nd seeded Jiang Yanjiao in the first round, the Scottish #1 narrowly losing to 2009 world champion Lu Lan in Round 2 last week. Pi Hongyan is the big European hope, the 3^rd seed plays Sayaka Sato of Japan in Round 1.

Mens Doubles:

Top seeded Koo and Tan will want to put their first round defeat behind them also, but they play another Danish pair in the first round this week also in Kristiansen and Henriksen. The 2^nd seeds Lee and Jung have Danish opponents also in Conrads-Petersen and Pieler Kolding, with a potential matchup against last week’s winners Paaske and Rasmussen in the quarter finals. The 8^th seeded Paaske and Rasmussen play a qualifier in their first round match.

Women’s Doubles:

The Chinese are not well represented this week in the event, with top seeds being Chin and Wong of Malaysia. Korean Open runners-up Fujii and Kakiiwa are the second seeds and play the German/Canadian pair of Nicole Grether and Charmine Reid in round 1. The Chinese highest seed is the 6^th seeded Du and Pan, they will play Jung and Kim of Korean in Round 1.

Mixed Doubles:

The top seeded Zheng and Ma will start against a qualifier in Round 1, with the big challenges coming from Ko and Ha, the 8^th seeds from Korea who they could meet in the quarter final and their potential semi final opponents, the 3^rd seeded Laybourn and Rytter Juhl of Denmark. The other side of the draw sees 2^nd seeded Lee and Lee of Korea start against the English pair of Middleton and Agathangelou,

Swiss Open Super Series 2010 Draws

Lin Dan Cruises Past Hashim

The second day was a stronger day for the seeds, however another top seed has fallen before the quarterfinal stage. Peter Gade continues on his quest for his second All England title as the top players in the world position themselves for a run at the title.

Mens Singles:

First on court again and safely into the quarterfinals was Lee Chong Wei with a fine victory over Sony Dwi Kunncoro 21-11, 21-17. He will play unseeded Korean Shon Wan Ho who defeated Chen Long in a three-game classic 21-18, 18-21, 21-19 after Chen Long disposed of 8^th seeded Jorgensen in round 1 yesterday. The other quarterfinal in the top half is perhaps the match of the day tomorrow between 4^th seed Taufik Hidayat and 5^th seed Peter Gade. Hidayat safely through against Englishman Andrew Smith 21-18, 21-14 and Gade survived a first game scare to win 24-22, 21-18 over Simon Santoso.

The bottom half sees unseeded Kenichi Tago through to see Chen Jin in the first quarterfinal. Tago has progressed through two tough matches, playing Tien Ming Nguyen in round 1 and defeating Joachim Persson, last years 6^th seed in three games, 22-24, 21-15, 21-8 to book his place against the 3^rd seed from China. Chen Jin safely progressed after a tight opening game against another English player Rajiv Ouseph, winning in two games, 23-21, 21-8.

Lin Dan is also through to tomorrow’s quarterfinal where he will play Bao Chunlai, the 6^th seed from China. Bao Chunlai’s phenomenal performance over Park Sung Hwan that seen him 13-0 in the opening game, before winning the match 21-5, 21-10. Lin Dan has failed to explode into life as yet but continues to progress in the tournament with another two-game victory over Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia.

Women’s Singles:

Wang Yihan was the first of the seeds through to the last 8 of the tournament with a 21-16, 21-16 win over Yu Hirayama of Japan. She will play the 8^th seeded Zhou Mi in the quarterfinals after the all-Hong Kong second round match between her and Wang Chen was won by the 8^th seed, 21-13, 21-15. The second quarterfinal match in the top half is an all-Chinese affair with 3^rd seeded Jiang Yanjiao coming through her second round match against Maria Febe Kusamastuti 21-9, 21-14 to set up a match against Wang Xin, the 5^th seed. She defeated Ai Goto of Japan 21-12, 21-13 to book her place in tomorrow’s quarterfinal.

Saina Nehwal booked her place in the last 8 with a win over Bae Sueng Hee of Korea, 21-11, 22-20 and will play unseeded Juliane Schenk of Germany, who also defeated a Korean to reach the quarterfinal stage, beating Bae Youn Joo 21-14, 21-16 to set up a match against the 7^th seeded Nehwal. The last of the 4 quarterfinal matches is the pick of the bunch, with Tine Rasmussen playing 6^th seed Lu Lan of China. Rasmussen progressed easily past Eriko Hirose 21-12, 21-12 to book her place whilst Lu Lan had to fight for a tight three-game victory over Scotland’s Susan Egelstaff, winning in the end 25-23, 20-22, 21-17 to reach the last 8 of the competition.

Mens Doubles:

Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen continue their fantastic run at this year’s competition with a 21-18, 21-19 victory over Ko and Yoo of Korea. They will play Tan and Gan of Malaysia in the last 8 after they defeated Chinese pairing of Chai and Zhang 21-8, 23-21. The two pairings are the only two non-seeded partnerships left in the men’s doubles draw. Kido and Setiawan also progressed, winning 21-16, 21-16 over qualifiers Endo and Hirobe of Japan and the 3^rd seeds will play Lee and Choong of Malaysia in the last 8 after the 8^th seeds fought back from a game down to win 17-21, 23-21, 21-11.

The third of the quarterfinals sees the 5^th seeded Cai and Fu play the 4^th seeded Boe and Mogensen for a place in the semi finals. Cai and Fu winning 21-11, 21-17 over their Korean opponents Kim and Shin whilst Boe and Mogensen came through a much tighter match, winning 22-20, 21-19 over Fan and Lee of Chinese Taipei. The second seeds Lee and Jung have been the class pairing in the competition to date, winning both matches to date in convincing fashion, today defeating Kumar and Thomas of India 21-12, 21-6 to book their place in the last 8 against Guo and Xu of China, the 7^th seeds. The Chinese pair defeating local favourites Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark 21-14, 21-11 to book their place in the last 8.

Women’s Doubles:

There is a distinctly Asian feel to the event, with all 8 pairings coming from China, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei or Indonesia. Top seeded Du and Yu are through to the quarter final after a 21-8, 21-12 win over Sorokina and Vislova of Russia and will play the Japanese 6^th seeds Maeda and Suetsuna in the last 8. The Japanese pair defeating Wallwork and White over England 21-23, 21-9, 21-8 to set up an all-seeded match in the quarters.

Wang and Ma are also through to the last 8 with a stunning 21-4, 21-7 win over Amitapai and Munkit of Thailand, they will play Chen and Chien of Chinese Taipei who beat the Bulgaria/Russian partnership of Anastasia Russkikh and Petya Nedelcheva 24-22, 21-9 to book their place in the last 8 of the event.

Mixed Doubles:

The top seeds Zheng Bo and Ma Jin were expected to contest for the title on Sunday, but were defeated by the Chinese qualifiers Zhang and Zhao 21-16, 21-17 to book their place in the last 8. They will play the 8^th seeded Gunawan and Marissa after their 21-14, 21-16 victory over Fujii and Hashimoto. He and Yu’s match against Blair and Bankier did not go ahead with Robert Blair’s leg injury forcing him to retire from the event. The 4^th seeds He and Yu will play another Chinese pair, the 6^th seeded Tao and Zhang after a three-game match with Mateusiak and Kostiucyzk 20-22, 21-18, 21-12.

There is English interest in the quarterfinals, with Anthony Clark and Heather Olver through to the last 8 against a 21-18, 22-20 win over Lee and Chien of Chinese Taipei. They will play the 3^rd seeds, Lee and Lee of Korean after their victory in their all-Korean second round match against Yoo and Kim, winning 21-13, 21-17. The second English pair play in the last of the quarterfinals, with Jenny Wallwork and Nathan Robertson defeating the 7^th seeds, Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 21-14, 16-21, 21-15. They will play the second seeds Widianto and Natsir after their 21-12, 21-8 win over Careme and Choinet of France

Day 2 Results

Rasmussen and Paaske Back on Form

Day 1 and the unpredictability of the opening round has slashed the amount of seeds left in the draw, including a top seed falling at the opening hurdle. Several seeds have also came through in tight affairs to book their place in the second round.

Mens Singles:

The first seed to book his place in the second round was Taufik Hidayat with a three game victory over Hu Yun 17-21, 21-11, 21-12. He plays Andrew Smith in the second round after the local favourite beat Eric Pang 21-10, 21-11 in his opening round match.

Lee Chong Wei booked his second round place with a 21-15, 21-16 with over Chetan Anand of India to set up a fantastic second round match with Sony Dwi Kunncoro of Indonesia after he defeated Du Pengyu 21-19, 21-10. The first seed to fall happened soon after Lee Chong Wei’s win as Jan O Jorgensen suffered a first round defeat to Chen Long of China 21-16, 21-10. The Chinese player plays Shon Wan Ho in the second round after his win over Chan Yan Kit in three games.

Peter Gade’s campaign begun in the middle of day 1 with a match against Dicky Palyama, the 42-minute encounter provided a stern test for the Danish 5^th seed but he progressed into round 2 with a 21-17, 21-17 win. He plays Indonesian Simon Santoso in the second round in another of the top matches on Thursday. There was wins for Joachim Persson and Kenichi Tago, with the Japanese player defeating 7^th seed Tien Minh Nguyen 21-10, 21-17. Persson and Tago will meet in Round 2.

The three Chinese seeds in the bottom half all progressed with varying results, Chen Jin saving a match point to win the third game in his match 22-20 to set up a round 2 clash with Rajiv Ouseph of England. Bao Chunlai defeated Marc Zweibler 21-7, 21-7 to show his credentials for the title and will play Park Sung Hwan in round 2. However, the second seeded Lin Dan was the main attraction of Round 1 with his first match of 2010. He played Danish qualifier Christian Lind Thomsen in his opening round match and after trailing 4-1 in the opening game, never let his Danish opponent lead the remainder of the match, winning 21-16, 21-15 to progress into round 2.

Women’s Singles:

Wang Yihan begun her defence against Ella Diehl of Russia and was duely tested, coming through 21-19, 21-19 to set up a round 2 match with Yu Hirayama of Japan. It was a mixed day for the Chinese ladies, with Jiang Yanjiao and Wang Xin progressing easily in two games. The 3^rd seed Jiang Yanjiao winning 21-18, 21-9 and Wang Xin, the fifth seed winning 21-8, 21-10.

The major shock of round 1 is the 2^nd seed Wang Lin crashing out to Eriko Hirose of Japan 10-21, 21-16, 21-18. Hirose will now play Tine Rasmussen in the second round after the Dane defeating Kim Moon Hi 21-19, 21-16. Wang Shixian also suffered a surprise defeat to Maria Febe Kusumastuti of Indonesia, losing out 21-13, 15-21, 21-16 who will now go on to play Jiang Yanjiao in the second round.

World champion Lu Lan safely progressed with a 21-6, 21-12 win over Yip Pui Yin and will play Scotland’s Susan Egelstaff in the second round, after she defeated Sayaka Sato 21-9, 21-19. Lu Lan is the now the highest seed left in the bottom half as the 4^th seeded Pi Hongyan was beaten by Juliane Schenk 21-23, 21-12, 21-15. The other seed in the bottom half, Saina Nehwal won her match against Judith Meulendijks 21-18, 21-11 to set up a round 2 match with Bae Youn Joo, the Malaysian Super Series finalist.

Mens Doubles:

Former world champions Paaske and Rasmussen claimed a stunning victory in their 21-13, 21-11 win over top seeds Koo and Tan in the opening round and will play Ko and Yoo of Korea in the second round tomorrow. 3^rd seeded Kido and Setiawan had to battle through a three-game encounter with Sato and Kawamae of Japan to progress into tomorrow’s second round, winning 21-15, 16-21, 21-18.

In the bottom half, Cai and Fu came through in three games over Ahsan and Septano of Indonesia to book their place in round 2 against Kim and Shin of Korea. Robert Blair was forced to retire with the same injury that forced him out of the German Open final, allowing a free pass for Fang and Lee of Chinese Taipei who play the 4^th seeds Boe and Mogensen in round 2 after the Danish pair defeated Hayakawa and Kazuno 21-14, 21-14.

The remaining seeds in the bottom half progressed safely, with Xu and Guo of China coming back from a game down to win their match and will play Anthony Clark and Nathan Robertson of England in round 2. The 2^nd seeds Lee and Jung are safely through after a 21-12, 21-11 win over Elbjorn and Skovgaard of Denmark.

Women’s Doubles:

7 of the 8 seeds are through to round 2, with Chin and Wong seeded 4^th suffering a shock 22-20, 21-15 defeat to Jauhari and Polii of Indonesia. Du and Yu safely progressed 21-9, 21-16 and the top seeds will play Russia’s Sorokina and Vislova in round 2. Ma and Wang seeded 2, won their opening round match 21-16, 21-10 and will play Amitapai and Munkit of Thailand in the second round who defeated Mason and Bankier of Scotland in round 1.

Mixed Doubles:

Top seeds Zheng and Ma are safely into round 2 and face another Chinese pair in Zhang and Shao in tomorrow’s second round, with both Chinese pairs coming through in two games. Another Chinese pair, He and Yu are also safely through to round 2, with a 21-14, 21-10 win over Fang and Wang of Chinese Taipei. They are scheduled to play Robert Blair and Imogen Bankier in round 2 but that match may not go ahead depending on Blair’s leg injury.

The fourth Chinese pair in the top half are also through, 6^th seeded Tao and Zhang defeated Russian pair Nikolaenko and Sorokina 21-10, 21-14 to book their place against Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiucyzk of Poland, the Hong Kong Super Series winners.

World champions Laybourn and Rytter Juhl are safely into round 2 and will play Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork in the second round. 3^rd seeded and Olympic champions Lee and Lee came back from a game down to win their match against Liao and Chen of Chinese Taipei and face an all-Korean second round match against Yoo and Kim. Second seeded Natsir and Widianto also fought back from losing the first game to progress into round 2, winning 17-21, 21-13, 21-9 to set up a match with Careme and Choinet of France.

Day 1 Results

Indonesia Tops Podium in Austria

Four of the five events had an Indonesian in the semi final stage of the Austrian Open, with Andre Kurniawan Tedjono playing the top seeded Brice Leverdez in the first of the men’s singles semi final. After losing the first game, the Indonesian 3^rd seed won the next two to progress to the final 12-21, 21-12, 21-6.

The French still had a chance of at least one finalist, with Mathieu Lo Ying Ping playing Raul Must of Estonia in the second semi final. This time, the French had reason to celebrate as the 5^th seed defeated his Estonian opponent 21-19, 21-13 to set up a final with Tedjono.

The women’s singles had another Indonesian, Fransisca Ratnasari who played against Scotland’s Susan Egelstaff. Even though Ratanasari was the lower seed, she took the victory easily, 21-14, 21-14 to set up a match with the top seed, Petya Nedelcheva. The Bulgarian defeated unseeded Japanese player Tamaki Pujii 21-11, 21-16 to progress into the final.

The top two seeds in the mixed doubles safely progressed into the final also, Atrashenkov and Prus beating unseeded Swiss duo Dumartheray and Jaquet 21-13, 21-19 to book their place in the final. Second seeded Makarski and Dimova of Bulgaria had to defeat 5^th seeds Okvana and Megawati of Indonesia to progress into the final.

The women’s doubles would be an all-Japanese final, with the 3 seeds Eto and Wakita of Japan defeating the 2^nd seeded Kobtseva and Prus 21-15, 21-3 to go through to the final. Fukuman and Mitani defeated Mason and Cooper of Scotland 24-22, 21-15 to book their place in the final.

The men’s doubles would have another Indonesian influence, with Okvana and Putra defeating the second seeded Ellis and Mills in the semi final 21-17, 15-21, 21-14 to book their place in the final. They would play another English pair in the final, with Ellis and George beating Constantin and Vincent 21-18, 21-16.

The Finals took place on the same day, some 3 hours after the end of play in the semi finals. The first final was the mixed doubles between the top two seeds. The exchanged the first two games before the top seeded Ukrainians served out at 17-17 in the third to win 24-26, 21-17, 21-17.

The second final was the women’s singles final; yet again the pair shared the opening 2 games before the Indonesian defeated the top seeded Nedelcheva 21-15, 18-21, 21-14 in 62 minutes. The Indonesian success would continue in the men’s singles final, with 3^rd seeded Tedjono beating Lo Ying Ping of France 21-12, 21-11 to double Indonesia’s wins in the tournament.

The all-Japanese women’s doubles final was won by the 3^rd seeded Eto and Wakita over Fukuman and Mitani 21-14, 21-10. The final match was the men’s doubles and it was title number 3 for Indonesia as Okvana and Putra defeated Ellis and George 21-17, 21-23, 28-26 in a 64 minute classic.

Austrian International 2010 Final Results

Zwiebler Leads Germany to Semi-Finals

Men’s Event

With Denmark and Poland enjoying byes to the semi-finals, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and the Netherlands fought to become their opponents.

In the team tie between Germany and Russia the Germans drew first blood, and appeared to be positioned to run away with the tie, but things would not be that easy.  Denmark Super Series finalist Marc Zwiebler quickly disposed of his opponent Vladimir Malkov 21-9, 21-9, which was then followed by Marcel Reuter winning a squeaker over Vladimir Ivanov 22-20, 25-23.  Fabian Hammes was however unable to close out the tie losing badly to Stanislav Pukhov 21-14, 21-7.  The Russian’s first men’s doubles Durkin and Nikolaenko also did their jobs defeating Fuchs and Kindervarter 21-17, 21-15 to set up a fifth and final match.  Unfortunately for the Russians their comeback was for nothing as the German pair of Hopp and Schoettler pulled off the win over Dremin and Pukhov in three close games 16-21, 21-19, 21-15.  Germany will now face Denmark in the semi-finals.

The other quarter-final tie was not nearly as close however, with Ukraine defeating their Dutch opponents with relative comfort.  Dmytro Zavadsky defeated Rune Massing 21-12, 21-13, Valeriy Atrashchenkov defeated Lester Oey 21-12, 21-12, and the only close match was between Vladislav Druzchenko and Saber Afif with Druzchenko winning in three games 21-13, 19-21, 21-13 to seal the win 3-0.  Ukraine will now face Poland in their semi-finals.

Women’s Events

Once again the Danish team had an opportunity for rest as the were through with a bye to the semis alongside the Netherlands.  The Danes would face the winners of Germany and Bulgaria.  The Germans proved too strong for the Bulgarians winning in three straight matches.  Juliane Schenk led the way with her win over Petya Nedelcheva, followed by Karin Schnasse beating Linda Zetchiri, and finally Fabienne Deprez defeating Dimitria Popstoykova. The Germans will now face Denmark.

The next tie was between Russia and Scotland. The first women’s singles was between Ella Diehl and Susan Egelstaff who faced off against each other in the Scottish International in late 2009. In that meeting Egelstaff was the victor, but Diehl had her revenge winning easily 21-12, 21-12. Tatjana Bibik took the next point for Russia beating Linda Sloan 21-14, 21-9. Finally it was the Russian pairing of Vislova and Sorokina who would seal their team’s place in the semi-finals with a win over Bankier and Mason 21-11, 21-15. The Russians will now play the Netherlands.

Click here for full results from the European Team Championships 2010

Denmark Dominates European Field

Group A – Winners: Denmark

Their record to date stands immaculate, four 5-0 victories to the loss of just one game. All without even fielding Peter Gade. They are the nation to beat in this competition without a doubt and haven’t even been tested en route to the semi final after a rest day on Thursday.

Group B – Winners: Poland

Thursday night seen the winner-take-all match between Poland and England for a place in the knockout stages, after two tight three game encounters left Poland 2-0 up, Hubert Paczek completed the job in a two game victory over Carl Baxter. Poland next two games were marred by retirements in both games, with the last rubber match with Rafal Hawel leading after winning the first game.

Group C – Winners: Netherlands

The Dutch progression to the knockout rounds never looked in jeopardy, but their only two losses have both came from their #1 singles player, Rune Massing. Who will need to improve in order to defeat the Group F winners.

Group D – Winners: Germany

Germany’s progression was sealed in impressive fashion, with three 5-0 victories to the loss of just 2 games. With the singles players in excellent form ahead of their quarterfinal clash with Russia.

Group E – Winners: Russia

The Russian doubles have been unbeatable in group stage action, and their only defeats have come in the singles, Ivan Sozonov has not returned to action since his opening day retirement against Italy.

Group F: Winners – Ukraine

The Ukraine’s closest match came on the opening day in a 3-2 win over Wales, after trailing 2-1. Two 4-1 victories secured Ukraines place in the knockout round against the Netherlands.

Women’s Event

Group A – Winners: Denmark

Played 3, Won 3. Played 15 Games, Won 15. The Danish women are putting down a real marker that they are here to retain their title from 2008. They will have a rest day tomorrow before taking on the winner of Germany and Bulgaria.

Group B – Winners: Netherlands

For 20 minutes, Belgium was level with Netherlands 1-1 in their final group match and the Dutch qualification was under threat. They rallied back to win the next three and win the match 4-1 to ensure their place in the knockout round.

Group C – Winners: Russia

A rare outing for Nina Vislova in singles ensured Russia’s 4-1 victory over England to progress into the knockout stage, with their second doubles pairing loss in the final match being their only defeat in the group stage.

Group D – Winners: Germany

Only Karin Schnasse’s loss to Carolina Marin stops Germany going into the knockout stage with a perfect record. Juliane Schenk has been in fine form in the three singles matches to date.

Group E – Winners: Scotland

Scotland are the only nation in the knockout stage to have lost a match but still progressed. Susan Egelstaff posted her first victory of the event today against Anna Narel whilst Mason and Bankier have gone unbeaten in all three matches.

Group F – Winners: Bulgaria

Three 5-0 victories will ensure that the Bulgarians are not taken lightly in the knockout stage, as Germany will find out tomorrow. Bulgaria in 30 games of action have allowed just 297 points, under 10 points a game.

Knockout Stages:

Men’s Quarter Final

Germany vs. Russia

Projected Line-Ups

Zweibler vs. Malkov

Domke vs. Ivanov

Reuter vs. Pukhov

Schoettler/Hopp vs. Durkin/Nicolaenko

Kasbauer/Hoth vs. Dremin/Pukhov

Russia’s key to success if that they have to take one of the singles and go into the doubles, Zweibler and Malkov met in the 2009 Scottish Open where Zweibler won comfortably. The longer the match goes on, the better the chances are that the Russian’s will win as Durkin/Nicolaenko are one of the top partnerships in Europe at the moment.

Netherlands vs. Ukraine

Projected Line-Ups

Massing vs. Zavadsky

Oey vs. Atrashchenkov

Afif vs. Druzchenko

Ridder/Oey vs. Konov/Zavadsky

Arands/Khodabux vs. Atrashchenkov/Druzcenko

Ukraine need to take advantage of Massing’s form in the group stages, this is a match that Ukraine need to win early as most of their players are playing two matches and fatigue could be a defining factor.

Women’s Event

Germany vs. Bulgaria

Projected Line-Ups

Schenk vs. Nedelcheva

Schnasse vs. Zechiri

Deprez vs. Popstoykova

Overzier/Marinello vs. Nedelcheva/Popstoykova

Neite/Goliszewki vs. Dimova/Zechiri

This could be the closest match tomorrow, with the potential of this going down to the final rubber as real possibility. It could come down to who wins 2 of the 3 singles matches.

Scotland vs. Russia

Projected Line-Ups

Egelstaff vs. Diehl

Sloan vs. Bibik

Gilmour vs. Prokopenko

Mason/Bankier vs. Vislova/Sorokina

Cooper/Sloan vs. Pollikarpova/Prokopenko

Scotland will need another inspired performance from Susan Egelstaff to defeat Ella Diehl like in the 2009 Scottish Open, Emma Mason lost out to Sorokina and Vislova in the women’s double final in the Scottish Open last year. The match could be in the hands of 16-year old Kirsty Gilmour as Russia haven’t settled on their #3 singles player. Scotland need at least two singles victory to stand a chance.

Thursday’s complete results

Gade Leads Danish Squad

The top male and female players in Europe will represent their nations in the European Team Championships this week in Warsaw, Poland. Denmark are looking to defend both the Men and Women’s titles this week, but will face stern opposition from the likes of Germany, England and Netherlands.

Men’s Team Championships

Denmark

2008 Result – Winners

The winners from two years ago are again the favourites for the title in 2010, with the likes of Jan O Jorgensen, Joachim Persson and Peter Gade for the singles and in doubles, the 4^th ranked partnership in the world, Mogensen and Boe. In their group awaits Iceland, Finland, Hungary and Croatia. With the group winner receiving a bye in the Quarter Final.

Germany

2008 Result – 3^rd

Germany want to go one better than their 3-1 defeat in the semi final against Denmark in the 2008 Event. Marc Zweibler and Dieter Domke will have to live up to and play above their rankings of 16 and 73 for Germany to repeat their 2006 appearance in the final. A potential rematch against Denmark could await in the semi final this year.

Poland

2008 Result – 4^th

Poland has been on the rise for the last few years, with recent Super Series success in the mixed doubles. Wacha (#31 Rank) and Logosz and Mateusiak (#35 Rank) will need to perform at their best after being paired in a group with 2008 runners-up England. Thursday at 6pm will ultimately determine the winners of Group B.

England

2008 Result – 2^nd

Denmark’s biggest challenge will come from England, with Andrew Smith, Rajiv Ouseph and Carl Baxter being the strongest line-up for England’s singles could potentially shock the Danish. Experienced heads like Robert Blair, Anthony Clark and Nathan Robertson will be invaluable with a new young squad of players like Adcock, Wright and Middleton. Their big test in the group will undoubtedly be Poland on Thursday.

Women’s Team Championships

Denmark

2008 Result – Winners

Tine Rasmussen will be one of the stars on show in the Women’s Championship, the 10^th ranked player in the world will led off Denmark in the singles. Europe’s top ranked women’s double pairing, Kristiansen and Rytter Juhl will be the partnership to beat in the championships also. Like the men, they also a potential bye to the semi final if they win Group A, with Greece, Estonia and Czech Republic.

Netherlands

2008 Result – 2^nd

With Yao Jie and Judith Meulendijks out of the Championships, the Dutch are very much understrength in the singles. Patty Stolzenbach will need to regain the form that seen her reach the semi final of the Norwegian Open late last year for the Netherlands to have any chance to progress.

Germany

2008 Result – 3^rd

Juliane Schenk will lead the German team in Group D in the singles, with Marinello and Overzier being the top ranked all-German couple, however Nicole Grether is seeded higher in the world but with a Canadian partner, so Germany’s 2^nd doubles partnership could be just as strong as their first.

Scotland

2008 Result – 4^th

A surprise 4^th placed finish it might have been, but a full-fit Scottish squad will arrive in Warsaw. Emma Mason is back after an 18-month lay off, as well as Imogen Bankier returning to competitive competition after a knee injury. Susan Egelstaff is in the form of her life after winning the 2009 Scottish Open. However they are placed in a tough group with France, Poland and Ukraine.

The competition begins on Tuesday, February 16.

Tuesday’s order of play