World No. 8 Peter Gade and World No. 5 Kenneth Jonassen on
Friday led Denmark into men's semifinals of the European Badminton
Team Championships being held in central Dutch city Almere, after
whipping Sweden 3-0.
In the first singles rubber, Jonassen conquered Magnus Sahlberg
in three games, 21-15, 17-21, 21-7. In the second singles rubber,
Gade defeated Henri Hurskainen with ease in straight games, 21-17,
21-17.
Mathias Boe and Joachim Fischer completed the Danish stylish
victory with a lopsided second doubles win over Mathias Wigardt and
Peder Nordin in two straight games, 21-8, 21-5.
In other quarterfinals actions, the Dutch hosts were edged by
Poland in a see-saw encounter, losing 2-3, Germany overcame Wales
3-0, and England beat Russia 3-0.
In Saturday's semifinals, Denmark will meet Germany, while
England will take on Poland. The final will be held on Sunday.
The tournament also serves as a European qualifying event for
the World team championships. The top three teams in both the
women's and men's competition will go to the final stages of the
World team championships scheduled for May in Jakarta,
Indonesia.
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(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2008)