Barker Bows Out In Budapest

Peter Barker became the only top seed to fail to make the semi-finals of the Head European Individual Championships when he was forced to concede his quarter-final match in Budapest, Hungary, after a recurrence of an ankle injury.

The England international, seeded two in the men's event, aggravated the injury during his 9-5, 9-1, 9-0 victory over Sweden's 9/16 seed Christian Drakenberg in the third round. The lucky recipient of Barker's scheduled semi-final berth is Jan Koukal, a 9/16 seed from the Czech Republic, who pulled off the only third round shock when he upset 5/8 seed Dylan Bennett, from the Netherlands, 9-6, 9-8, 9-4.

The star of the women's event on the second day of action was Annabel Romedenne. The 9/16 seed from Belgium took out France's 3/4 Camille Serme 9-6, 9-6, 1-9, 2-9, 9-2 in the second round - and then swept through to the semi-finals after a 3-9, 9-7, 9-1, 9-2 quarter-final victory over fellow 9/16 seed Frania Gillen-Buchert, from Scotland, in 65 minutes.

Men's Quarter-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [5/8] Simon Rosner (GER) 9-4, 9-4, 9-3 (40m)
[5/8] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [3/4] Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 9-6, 9-3, 9-0
[3/4] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [5/8] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 9-5, 9-1, 9-1 (56m)
[9/16] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [2] Peter Barker (ENG) w/o

Women's Quarter-finals:
[1] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [5/8] Soraya Renai (FRA) 9-4, 9-0, 9-2 (18m)
[9/16] Annabel Romedenne (BEL) bt [9/16] Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO) 3-9, 9-7, 9-1, 9-2 (65m)
[3/4] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt [5/8] Pamela Pancis (AUT) 9-2, 9-2, 9-1
[2] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt [5/8] Chantal Moros-Pitarch (ESP) 9-1, 9-0, 9-5 (16m)