Friday - Day Three

Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg's hopes of avenging their Yonex All England Championships defeat by Zheng Bo and Gao Ling ended in mixed doubles disappointment in the quarter-finals of the Yonex Japan Open in Tokyo today.

The national champions, who lost the Birmingham final in three games in March, went down in straight games against the powerful Chinese who are emerging as the pair to beat in the Beijing Olympics next summer.

Clark and Kellogg, the last England players in the tournament, lost 21-12 21-17.

Clark will stay on in Asia to tackle next week's Taipei Open with men's doubles partner Robert Blair, Singles players Andrew Smith and Commonwealth champion Tracey Hallam will be competing as well.

There are four Super Series tournaments to come - Denmark and France in October and China and Hong Kong in November - before the Masters finals in December.

Thursday - Day Two

FORMER world champions Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms fell on day two of the Yonex Japan Open. The England fourth seeds lost their second round clash with Koreans Han Sang Hoon and Lee Hyo Jung 21-16 22-20.

 But fifth seeds Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg, the National champions and 2006 world silver medallists, are through to the last eight following their 21-11 21-18 win over Denmark's Jonas Rasmussen and Lena Frier Kristiansen.

The formidable Chinese top seeds Zheng Bo and Gao Ling, who beat them in the Yonex All England final in March, bar their path to the semi-finals.

More disappointment came England's way in the women's singles when Commonwealth champion Tracey Hallam went down to top seed and Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning. But the Staffordshire left-hander put up a great fight before losing 21-11 23-21.

Late on day two Emms and Kellogg went down in the women's doubles, Emms beaten again by Lee Hyo Jung and her partner Lee Kyung Won 21-14 21-14.

Wednesday - Day One

COMMONWEALTH champion Tracey Hallam got off to a winning start at the Yonex Japan Open in Tokyo today.

The 32-year-old left-hander, ranked No 16 in the world, beat Chinese qualifier Wang Lin 21-12 17-21 21-18 to earn a second-round clash with top seed and Olympic champion Zhang Ning in this eighth of 12 BWF Super Series events.

But England's other singles hope, Andrew Smith, missed out as he went down bravely against experienced Korean men's singles star Lee Hyun-ll. After taking the first game, the world No 23 was edged out 15-21 21-15 21-12.

In the mixed doubles former world champions Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms, playing their first tournament since surrendering their title in Kuala Lumpur last month, got off to a solid start with a 21-19 21-13 win over Singapore's Hendra Wijaya and Jiang Yanmei.

They will face Koreans Han Sang Hoon and Lee Hyo Jung in tomorrow's second round.

Joining the Olympic silver medallists in the last 16 are 2006 world runners-up and National champions Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg. The England pair beat Koreans Lee Yong Dae and Ha Jung Eun 21-16 22-20 and that earned them a crack at Danish pair Jonas Rasmussen and Lena Frier Kristiansen.

But there was disappoinment for Clark in the men's doubles when he and Robert Blair, the 2006 world silver medallists, went down to Hong Kong's Albertus Susanto Njoto and Yohan Wiratama 21-14 19-21 21-16.

In the women's doubles European champions Emms and Kellogg received a walkover and face a Korean or Taiwan pair in tomorrow's second round.

For full results follow www.bwfsuperseries.com