by Ian Marshall, Editor

They booked their place in the penultimate round by ousting the Czech Republic partnership of Jiri Martinko and Patrik Klos, the no.9 seeds (11-5, 11-8, 11-8) and very much a duo in form. In the second round they had beaten Germany’s Tobias Hippler and Nils Hohmeier, the no.4 seeds (15-13, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 11-9).

A second round defeat for Tobias Hippler and Nils Hohmeier; it was the same for Belgium’s Florian Cnudde and Thibaut Darcis, the no.2 seeds. They were beaten by Slovakia’s Adam Brat and Tibor Spanik, the no.14 seeds (11-7, 11-7, 12-10), who then overcame the pairing formed by Austria’s Andreas Levenko and Moldova’s Andrei Putuntica, the no.6 seeds (11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8) to secure their semi-final place.

Early exits; for Romania’s Cristian Pletea and Rares Sipos, the top seeds, as for the pairing of Aleksandr Khanin of Belarus and Poland’s Tomas Kotowski, the no.3 seeds, it was the end of the road one round later at the quarter-final stage. Cristian Pletea and Rares Sipos lost to Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic and Peter Hribar, the no.7 seeds (11-7, 11-3, 11-9); for Aleksandr Khanin and Tomas Kotowski it was defeat when facing Italy’s Antonino Amato and Daniele Pinto, the no.15 seeds (11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6).

At the semi-final stage Darko Jorgic and Peter Hribar meet Antonino Amato and Daniele Pinto; Denis Ivonin and Vladimir Sidorenko face Adam Brat and Tibor Spanik.

Proceedings in Gondomar conclude on Sunday 10th March.