SATURDAY

Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms were edged out in three games by Denmark's Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Juhl in the Yonex Korea Open semi-finals on Saturday.

The World and Commonwealth champions lost the first game 21-19 but hit back in the second to take it 21-12 before losing the decider 21-16 in a 46-minute contest. They had lost to the Dane at the same stage in the Denmark Open in November.

Robertson and Emms, England's last hopes in the tournament, will now return home to prepare for the defence of their English National title in Manchester next weekend.

FRIDAY

World champions Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms are through to the semi-finals of the Yonex Korea Open in Seoul.

The England pair, runners-up at the Malaysia Open last weekend, beat Thailand's second seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoughthongkam 21-18 21-12.

It was a far less nerve-racking clash than their world championships semi-final when the Commonwealth champions needed five match points before winning.

Robertson and Emms, in their last event before defending their English National title in Manchester Velodrome from Feb 2-4, now meet their great Danish rivals Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Juhl.

In the top half of the draw David Lindley and Suzanne Rayappan's great run came to an end when they lost to Zheng Bo and Gao Ling 21-12 21-11.

But the England pair come home with the satisfaction of having beaten the 2005 world champions and top seeds Lilyana Natsir and Nova Widianto in the quarter-finals the previous day.

Gao and Zheng face Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen in an all-Chinese semi-final.

THURSDAY

David Lindley and Suzanne Rayappan pulled off the best win of their career to join world champions Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms in the Yonex Korea Open quarter-finals.

The England pair beat 2005 world champions and top seeds Lilyana Natsir and Nova Widianto in a second-round thriller 21-17 11-21 22-20.

Lindley and Rayappan now meet China's double Olympic champion Gao Ling and new partner Zheng Bo.

Robertson and Emms are through to the last eight after another win over Indonesia's Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa. They won 21-19 21-15, having beaten them in three games in last week's Malaysia quarter-finals.

But world runners-up Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg were out of luck, losing in the second round for the second week in a row - and against the same Danish opponents. Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Britta Andersen won 21-15 22-20, having won in three games last week.

Clark and Robert Blair, the world silver medallists, were among the last pairs in action on day two and they fell in three games against Malaysia's Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong 18-21 21-18 21-18.

WEDNESDAY

ANDREW SMITH'S hopes of improving on his World No 17 ranking were checked today when he lost to Shoji Sato of Japan in a tight three-game clash at the Yonex Korea Open in Seoul.

And Natalie Munt and Joanne Nicholas wer unluckily squeezed out 23-21 in the deciding game against Indonesia's Greysai Polii and Vita Marrissa in the women's doubles.

There was disappointment too for European champions Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg, who also went out in the first round against Japan's Aki Akao and Tomomi Matsuda in straight games.

But Emms and Kellogg won their mixed doubles openers with Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark respectively.

Clark and Kellogg edged through 22-20 in the third against Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk of Poland. But Dutch Open winners Robert Blair and Jenny Wallwork fell to Danes Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Britta Andersen in three games.

In one of day one's final matches Clark and Blair won their men's doubles three-setter against former England sparring partner Eng Hian and Rian Sukmawan of Indonesia

Men's singles 1st round:

Shoji Sato (Japan) bt Andrew Smith (England) 12-21 21-19 21-19

Women's singles 1st round:

Tine Rasmussen (Denmark) bt Susan Hughes (Scotland) 21-16 21-12

Men's doubles 1st round:

Anthony Clark & Robert Blair (England) bt Eng Hian & Rian Sukmawan (Indonesia) 21-15 18-21 21-13

Women's doubles 1st round:

Kamilla Augustyn & Nadiezda Kostiuczyk (Poland) bt Jenny Wallwork & Suzanne Rayappan (England) 21-14 21-14

Gresya Polii & Vita Marissa (Indonesia) bt Natalie Munt & Joanne Nicholas (England) 17-21 21-13 23-21

Aki Akao & Tomomi Matsuda (Japan) bt (5/8) Gail Emms & Donna Kellogg (England) 21-14 21-18

Mixed doubles 1st round:

David Lindley & Suzanne Rayappan (England) bt Wai Chee Louisa Koon (Hong Kong) & Tanama Putra Alroy (Indonesia) 21-18 21-9

Joachim Fischer Nielsen & Britta Andersen (Denmark) bt Robert Blair & Jenny Wallwork (England) 21-10 17-21 21-12

(5/8) Anthony Clark & Donna Kellogg (England) bt Robert Mateusiak & Nadiezda Kostiuczyk (Poland) 14-21 21-19 22-20

(5/8) Nathan Robertson & Gail Emms (England) bt Ooi Yu Hang & Tan Bin Shen (Malaysia) 21-5 21-5

TUESDAY

CHRIS LANGRIDGE suffered double disappointment today in the qualifying rounds at the Korean Open in Seoul.

The England youngster and more experienced partner David Lindley lost in the first men's doubles qualifying round to Korean pair Meyeong Won Kong and Yong Hyun Kim 21-16 23-21.

And in the mixed doubles the Surrey prospect and Joanne Nicholas, who were second qualifying seeds, lost out for a place in the main draw against Singapore's Jiang Yanmei and Hendray Wijaya 24-26 21-18 21-19.

Langridge will now turn his attention to the English National Championships in Manchester from February 2-4. His next Super Series tournament will be the Yonex All England Championships in Birmingham's National Indoor Arena from March 6-11.

But with the Super Series main draws reduced to 32, the qualifying rounds are inevitably bursting with quality. In the men's singles for instance, former world runner-up Wong Choong Hann and Olympic silver medallist Shon Seung Mo battled it out in the final qualifier for a place in the main draw before the Korean prevailed in three games.

For results from Korea check out www.bwfsuperseries.com