The third day of the Swissin Basel started with the quarterfinals in mixed event – three Danish pairs left in the draw. and two of these met each other in the first match of the day.

Jens Eriksen & Mette Schjoldager meets Jonas Rasmussen & Jane Bramsen. The first set was an unexpectedly easy affair for Rasmussen and Bramsen winning it 7-2, but from then on Jens Eriksen managed to find his smash again and he and his partner woke up, winning the next two games and leading two games to one.

But Rasmussen & Bramsen looked fresher today than the recent All-England finalists - with well placed strokes they came back into the game by winning the next set. In the decider the less experienced Danish pair won clearly 7-1.

“I know that Jonas & Jane can play well, they have made good progress in the last months - Jens and Mette were a little bit tired after the All-England, where they did very well. I have a good feeling for Jonas & Jane in this tournament….” said the Danish national-assistant coach Jan Jorgensen.

Rasmussen and Bramsen will go tomorrow on court to play against the Dutch pair Chris Bruil & Lotte Jonathans.

The current All England champions Kim Dong Moon & Ra Kyung Min had no problems against Danish national champions Michael Sogaard & Rikke Olsen. They Danes could only keep up in the last set – but after the linejudge made a dubious call ,which Rikke Olsen did not understand, the game was over!

Michael Sogaard is not really satisfied with the new-scoring system tested here – all players in doubles and mixed have only one service, taken from the right side of the court: “It is frustating for the players, because you have not many rallies. So it becomes more important to have a good service, the real badminton game gets into the background. But even to play to 7 is not a good idea,” voiced the Dane.

The Koreans will face Anthony Clark and Sara Sankey in the semi-final. They had beaten Germany’s best mixed pair – world number eights Bjoern Siegemund & Nicol Pitro – in five games. The English took a quick two-game lead before Siegemund & Pitro got into the game again and levelled up the score, but it was not enough to win – they lost 3-7 in the fifth and deciding game.

In the women’s singles, Lee Kyung Won - the conqueror of reigning champion Pi Hongyan - almost created the next upset, while playing the Chinese-born Dutch player Yao Jie. But for a while it looked as though everything would go Yao’s way, when she won the first game without losing a single point!

“After the first set, I expected an easy match – but it was not!” said Yao Jie.

The Korean found her way back into the game, but in the end the it was the tall Chinese - thanks to her brilliant drop-cross stroke at the net like Susi Susanti did in her best days – who was the lucky winner 7-0, 3-7, 7-0, 3-7 and 7-4.

“There was some wind on one side of the court, that was a reason why I didn’t play my usual game in the second and fourth sets.” said Yao Jie – she also added that she expects to win the semifinal which she will play against Zeng Yaqiong of China, who was forced to run a fair few kilometres against the “German” Xu Huaiwan.

After she drew level at two games all she threw herself onto the court – laying there for quite some minutes – totally exhausted by this hard battle, which she won in in the fifth and final game.

Mia Audina also cruised in the semifinal by winning against another strong Korean Kim Kyeung Ran in four games. But it was quite hard for her, after losing the first. She is meet to Kanako Yonekuro of Japan.

In the men`s singles Rony Augustinus way goes further – today he ousted Kasper Oedum with his impressive jump-smashes. The Dane, who played with two bandaged knees, seemed to be a little nervous especially in the first game settling into the second but it was not enough to bother the Indonesian who finsished up 7-2, 7-5 and 7-1.

Who will stop the pacy Indonesian?

Maybe the Malaysian James Chua – he beat his teammate Ayob in a short quarter-final match. “I was confident to win this game, but I didn`t expect it in that fast way. My chances in the semifinal are 50:50,” said James Chua. We will see…..

Ng Wei of Hong Kong is another player to watch – he won against Dicky Palyama. It was not the that the Dutch player played badly, but the young man from Hong Kong was too good today. “Since I beat Budi Santoso on Wednesday, I know that I can beat other strong players, too.” The 21-year-old, who loves to watch soccer will meet Indonesian top seed Marleve Mainaky, who profits from an injury to Anders Boesen. The Dane won the first game of their quarter-final clash, but was forced to retire due to a foot -injury sustained in the fourth game.

The men`s doubles bout between Sogaard & Lamp and Lee Dong Soo & Yoo Yong Sung was a very exciting match – especially in the fourth game in which there were some strong contenders for “rally of the tournament”. The Koreans emerged victorious and will meets the always-smiling Indonesians Bambang Suprianto & Sigit Budiarto in the semis, after they beat the Polish number two seeds in an very easy way. The Asians were more than one class better: 7-0, 7-3 and 7-3 in just 23 minutes.

The other semifinal will contest the Danes Eriksen & Lundgaard Hansen and the surprise doubles survivors of this Swissedition, Liu Kwok Wa & Albertus Susanto Njoto. The Hong Kong pair, which comprises a “real” Hong Kong-Chinese and a former Indonesian, beats the Danish youngsters Mathias Boe and Peter Steffensen in five thrilling games after the Danes were 2-0 games ahead.

In the women’s doubles the number one seeded Germans Pitro & Grether were ousted by the Netherlands-England pair Jonathans & Emms in four games. After the Germans had some gamepoints in the fourth, but could not finish them off and lost 6-8.

The newly composed pair will meet Japan’s Yamamoto & Yamada, who beat England’s Goode & Wright.

The favourites for the title and the best non-Chinese doubles pair at the moment– Ra Kyuing Min & Lee Kyung Won - defeated the Danes Olsen & Vange.

Semifinals:

Men`s singles:

Marleve Mainaky (Indonesia) – Ng Wei (Hong Kong)
James Chua (Malaysia) – Rony Agustinus

Womens`singles:

Zeng Yaqiong (China) – Yao Jie (Netherlands)
Kanako Yonekura (Japan) – Mia Audina (Netherlands)

Men`s doubles:

Eriksen & Lundgaard (Denmark) – Liu K & A Susanto Njoto (Hong Kong)
Lee Dong Soo & Yoo Yong Sung (Korea) - Suprianto & Budiarto (Indonesia)

Women`s doubles:

Gail Emms & Lotte Jonathans (ENG – NED) – Yamamoto & Yamada (Japan)
Pernille Harder & Mette Schjoldager (Denmark) – Ra & Lee (Korea)

Mixed doubles:

Jonas Rasmussen & Jane Bramsen (Denmark) – Chris Bruil & Lotte Jonathans (Netherlands)
Anthony Clark & Sara Sankey (England) – Kim & Ra (Korea)

report and pictures by Manuel Roesler