Kruse's current world ranking of 14th meant that he automatically qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament. 

Kruse was beaten in the final by South Korea's defending champion Young Ho Kwon, who won 15-10.

He said: "I am a bit disappointed not to have converted in the final. 

"However, I think I am starting to hit some decent form now- which bodes well for Tokyo next week."

On his way to the gold medal match, Kwon beat Jeffreis 15-13 while Halsted lost to another Korean, Tae-Kyu Ha.

Halsted said: "I was disappointed to miss out on the podium by a single hit, but this result is in line with my goal of a consistent improvement in major international competitions."

Jeffries said: "This was my first senior World Cup final and I hope this is just a beginning of more world class results."

Britain's foil coach, Ziemek Wojciechowski, was pleased with the progress the team is showing in the build-up to London 2012..

He said: "It was good result for the British foil World Class Pathway squad and for the first time we had three fencers in the top eight at a World Cup event. 

"This shows the steady progress we are making all the time and that we are on course with our Olympic dream of winning medals at our home Games."

British Fencing’s Performance Director, Graham Watts, was delighted.
 
He said: “I am pleased with the continued progress we are seeing on the international stage. 

"This bodes well for 2012 and beyond. 

"The investment made through the World Class programme is starting to really pay off.”

Piers Martin, British Fencing's chief executive, said:  "This goes to show that with the continued support that we received from UK Sport, fencing can no longer be considered a marginal sport. 

"It’s an important part of the medal winning mix in 2012."