Germany and Poland reach semifinals of fencing world championship

(BEIJING, April 18) -- Poland beat France 45-43 and Germany beat the United States 45-38 in the quarterfinals of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 FIE World Championships today in Beijing. They join Italy and Russia in the semifinals.

Poland took an early lead in the match, leading 25-21 after the fifth game, then barely held on for victory as France twice drew even at 37 and 43 all. Aggressive play in the final 30 seconds of the match allowed Poland to squeak into the next round.

The other quarterfinal started as a close affair, with Germany and the US tied with 24 points near the end of the fifth. Germany, though, then took control, winning the match by a seven point margin.

The semifinal matches take place tomorrow, Saturday, April 19, starting at 2:00 p.m with Italy squaring off against Poland and Russia meeting Germay.