Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen, the only Danes in semi-finals of all five badminton events, were ousted by top seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan 19-21, 17-21 in Beijing on Friday.

The former world No.1 in men's doubles from Denmark apparently could not match the speed of the current world No.1 from Indonesia, and it seemed too hard for the Danish veterans over 30 to catch up when they lagged behind in both games.

"It was a matter of two or three rallies. They're very strong in the first three shots with sharp strokes, which destroyed our game," said Rasmussen on their loss.

While the Indonesian pair attributed their victory to perseverance.

"A lot of perseverance. We just played to our maximum," said Setiawan, admitting that hitting hard and strong down the middle near the net was their style of attack in this match.

On the possibility of playing the second seeds Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng from China in the final, Kido said they are comfortable to play against them.

"Whether we win or lose, it's not an issue. We just have to persevere," said the 24-year-old world champion.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2008)