London: World number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and arch-rival Lin Dan of China bustled into the quarter-finals of the All England championships.
But there was a major scare for women`s singles world champion Lu Lan of China who took 66 minutes to battle past unheralded Briton Susan Eglestaff 25-23, 20-22, 21-17.
Eglestaff, world ranked 31, played some of the best badminton of her life and fought all the way.
"I`m really pleased with my performance but also really disappointed as I had a chance to take a real scalp," Eglestaff told reporters.
In the men`s draw, top seed Chong Wei overcame Sony Dwi Kunncoro 21-11, 21-17.
The defeated Indonesian was unseeded but a useful record includes an appearance in the final of the world championships in Malaysia in 2007 and he ranks 11 in the world.
Lin, the world and Olympic champion was stretched hard in the second set by Malaysia`s Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, the All England champion in 2003.
Lin, seeking his fifth All England title in the last seven years, trailed 15-12 and 17-15 before moving into top gear to claim his last eight spot 21-14, 21-18.
Other big names on display included ex-Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia who broke home hearts with a 21-18, 21-14 success over England`s Andrew Smith.
There was more disappointment for the crowd when three-times English national champion Rajiv Ouseph was downed 23-21, 21-8 by Chinese third seed Chen Jin.
"It was a difficult first set and he played extremely well. He`s tall and I had to play a lot from the back, Chen saidBut there was consolation for the English in the mixed doubles where they managed to get two unseeded pairs through to the last eight - Anthony Clark and Heather Olver and Nathan Robertson and his new partner Jenny Wallwork.
Robertson and Wallwork beat world champion Danes Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 21-14, 16-21, 21-15.
A delighted Robertson, who enjoyed much high level success with his ex-playing partner, the now retired Gail Emms, said: "We are playing well as a pair. There`s no confusion out there."England players and officials alike were stunned earlier in the day by the sudden death of Badminton England chairman Mike Sertin.
"It is a terrible shock, made worse by the fact that it comes right in the middle of the All England 100th Championships, an event in which Mike has been such a driving force," chief executive Adrian Christy said.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.