The Swiss pair eased past Quincy Aye and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat of France 21-18, 21-12 to progress at Maowei Sea Gold Beach.

"We did not set-up well in the first set but that was normal, then we came closer and in the end I think we were the better team,” Gerson said. 

"The second set was also not easy. 

"We did a lot of pressure on serve and block-defence. 

"That was the key to get that set clearly."

Heidrich and Gerson are set to face Valeriy Samoday and Igor Velichko in the last four after the Russian duo defeated Miles Evans and Ryan Doherty of the United States 21-16, 21-14. 

Austrian pair Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz, seeded second, swept aside Ukraine's Sergiy Popov and Iaroslav Gordieiev 21-13, 21-18.

They will also face Russian opponents in Ruslan Bykanov and Alexander Likholetov, 11-21, 21-19, 15-10 victors against Martin Trans Hansen and Kristoffer Abell of Denmark.

There was an upset in the women's competition as Chinese top seeds Wang Fan and Xia Xinyi lost 21-17, 19-21, 15-13 to Karla Borger and Julia Sude of Germany.

Their compatriots Wang Xinxin and Xue Chen were more successful, comfortably beating Aline Chamereau and Alexandra Jupiter of France 21-16, 21-16. 

Kerri Walsh Jennings and Brooke Sweat of the US overcame Amaranta Fernández Navarro and Angela Lobato Herrero of Spain 19-21, 21-13, 15-9. 

Fellow Americans Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman were beaten 21-15, 17-21, 15-12 by Australia's Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy.

The semi-finals of the 3-star event will take place tomorrow.