NATHAN ROBERTSON and Jenny Wallwork showed England’s players how to do it as they moved smoothly into the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles at the Yonex European Badminton Championships at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.
The third seeds defeated Johannes Schoettler and Sandra Marinello of Germany 21-9 21-12 and now play Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeria Sorokina of Russia.
Robertson’s win made up for his disappointment of missing out in the men’s doubles where he and Anthony Clark, the third seeds, were forced to withdraw through Clark’s calf injury.
Robertson (Notts) and Wallwork (Yorks) are now one win away from a medal to add to his bronze from two years ago and his gold in 2004 with Gail Emms.
But on another day of disappointment for England, rising stars Chris Adcock (Notts) and Gabby White (Yorks) fell in the mixed doubles against Wouter Claes and Nathalie Descamps of Belgium, the seventh seeds going down 13-21 22-20 21-16.
England singles star Andrew Smith (Hants) was also jinxed on day two when he was forced to quit his match against Olympic opponent Marc Zweibler, the German third seed, when trailing 13-5. Smith has been troubled by injury most of this year and succumbed to shin splints in his right leg.
But Avon’s eighth seed Carl Baxter defeated Czech No 1 Jan Vondra 21-14 21-16 to earn a quarter-final against Peter Gade. The four-times champion from Denmark survived a real scare against Estonian Raul Must before winning 21-15 19-21 21-18.
England’s other singles hope, fourth seed Rajiv Ouseph (Middx) overcame a shaky start to beat Finland’s Ville Lang 20-22 21-12 21-11 and now faces Ireland’s Scott Evans.
In the women’s singles Jersey’s four-times English National champion Elizabeth Cann (Jersey) was ousted by fifth seed Petya Nedelcheva of Bulgaria 21-13 21-13 while Cheshire’s Helen Davies put up a gritty display before falling to Russian sixth seed Ella Diehl 17-21 21-16 21-11.
Denmark’s Yonex All England Champion Tine Rasmussen outplayed Linda Zuchiri 21-15 21-18 and that set up a quarter-final with Glasgow’s Bank of Scotland International Champion Susan Egelstaff after the Commonwealth bronze medallist defeated Telma Santos of Portugal 21-12 21-8.
In the men’s doubles Adcock and Robert Blair (Leics) now lead the home challenge in the absence of Robertson and Clark and they began their medal bid by beating Dutchmen Ruud Bosch and Koen Ridder 21-16 21-10.
Joining them in tonight’s second round were Peter Mills (Notts) and Marcus Ellis (Yorks), who put out Jose Vincente Martinez and Alejandro Villar of Spain 21-14 21-17.
Robin Middleton (Yorks), out to make up for his mixed doubles disappointment, is through to the second round after he and Chris Langridge (Surrey) defeated George Galvas and Panagiotis Skarlatos of Greece 21-7 21-5.
In the women’s doubles Heather Olver (Sussex) and Mariana Agathangelou (Avon) won their opening match 21-17 21-10 against Tatajana Bibik and Olga Golvanova to join Leeds pair Wallwork and White in the second round.
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