Czechs send Australia crashing out

London: Australia`s Natalie Cook bowed out of her record fifth Olympic Games after the Czech Republic`s Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolocova triumphed in a late-night thriller.

Cook and her team-mate Tamsin Hinchley needed to win this match to have any chance of reaching the knockout stage following defeats to the United States and Austria, but succumbed 21-16 18-21 15-11 to finish last in Pool C.   

Cook and Hinchley will reflect on four spurned match points in their match against Austria as the turning point in their disappointing campaign, but Cook, as she has done throughout the tournament, left the arena with a smile on her face.

World champions Juliana Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil maintained their 100% start to the women`s competition at Horse Guards Parade with victory over the Czech Republic.   

Silva and Franca completed a 21-12, 21-18 victory over Lenka Hajeckova and Hana Klapalova to cement their place at the top of Pool A in their third and final preliminary match.

Russia`s Anastasia Vasina and Anna Vozakova sealed top spot in women`s Pool B at Horse Guards Parade this afternoon after a battling three-set victory over Switzerland.   

The Russians, whose surprise victory over pool favourites China in their opening match was followed by a disappointing reverse to Greece, returned to top form in the London sunshine as they defeated Simone Kuhn and Nadine Zumkehr 21-17 19-21 15-9.

China`s Xue Chen and Zhang Xi progressed to the last 16 of the women`s competition at Horse Guards Parade after enjoying an untroubled victory against Greece in their final preliminary phase match.   

The women`s second seeds, bronze medallists in Beijing four years ago, ran out 21-17 21-16 winners to make it back-to back triumphs in Pool B.

BDST: 1624 HRS, August 2, 2012
Edited by
Chanchal Ghosh, Newsroom Editor