The last New Zealand pair have been beaten at the Australian Badminton Open in Sydney.
Kevin Dennerly-Minturn from Auckland and Waitakere's Kritteka Gregory made the second round of the mixed doubles at US$120,000 BWF Grand Prix Gold event after an easy first round win but then took on tournament top seeds and current world No 9 pair Markis Kido and Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth from Indonesia last night.
The end result was a 21-10 21-11 loss in 20 minutes for the Kiwis, however the experience will hold them in good stead for next week's US$50,000 New Zealand Open at the North Shore Events Centre.
The quality of the mixed draw is very high with seven of the eight pairs in the quarter-finals of the Australian event set to play in Auckland.
The men's quarter-finals of the doubles draw in Sydney is also dominated by combinations who will take to the court in Auckland.
