GRAND PRIX FINALS: JOKO UNABLE TO PLAY, HOYER AND DONG STAY ALIVE
Full Day 2 Results
by Mike Grossman (from a report filed by J. 'D.Shuttlenws2' Chang)

December 5, 1996 (New Shuttlenws) - In an unexpected turn of events today at the badminton Grand Prix Finals in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Joko Suprianto of Indonesia, the top-rated men's singles player in the world, was not able to play his second of three matches in the Group A round-robin elimination stage. Suprianto had developed a severe allergic reaction reportedly to some muscle ointment or rub either late last night or earlier today, and was in no condition to take the court after receiving anti-allergy treatment.

Martin Lundgaaard Hansen was the beneficiary of the Suprianto allergy. Lundgaard Hansen, a substitute for Kim Kak Kyun of Korea, was projected to lose to Suprianto in today's matchup. Instead, he ends up with a victory and could make it to the semifinals as the Group A winner if he beats Chen Gang of China tomorrow and if Suprianto beats Fung Permadi of Taipei.

Fung Permadi now leads Group A with his second match victory in the round-robin, a 15-6 and 15-4 win over Chen Gang. Permadi, a Indonesian now playing out of Taipei, will face former teammate Suprianto in a key match tomorrow, if the Indonesian ace is able to play. A Permadi victory will put him into Saturday's semifinals. For Suprianto to gain the semis, he needs to beat Permadi and Chen has to win against Lundgaard Hansen.

Chen Gang is out of contention in Group A with his two losses.

In men's singles Group B, Dong Jiong of China recovered from his loss to Indonesia's Indra Wijaya yesterday and defeated Ong Ewe Hock of Malaysia to stay in contention for a semifinal berth.

Dong, the Olympic silver medalist, was in better playing form today and cut down on his errors specially in the very close second game. Dong beat the Malaysian player 15-9 and 17-14.

In the other Group B match, Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen of Denmark, loser to Ong yesterday, also won to stay alive in the competition. Stuer defeated Indra Wijaya 15-9 and 15-11.

With Dong and Stuer beating yesterday's winners, Group B has become a toss-up. All four players sport 1-win and 1-loss records going into the last of the round-robin matches tomorrow - Dong versus Stuer and Ong versus Indra Wijaya.

Dong gains entry into the semifinals if he wins against Stuer and Ong beats Wijaya. A Stuer win combined with a Wijaya victory means Stuer becomes the semifinalist from Group B. Ong will go to the semis if he beats Wijaya and Stuer beats Dong. Wijaya's chances rest with a win over Ong and a Dong victory.

In men's singles Group C, Rashid Sidek of Malaysia won his second match in the round-robin. He beat Hermawan Susanto of Indonesia, but only after losing a tight first game 15-18 and outlasting a tiring Susanto in the second 15-10.

In the third game, Susanto was completely bagged and Sidek creamed him 15-1.

Sun Jun of China kept pace with Sidek in Group C. Sun easily defeated Soren Nielsen of Denmark 15-3 and 15-3.

Tomorrow's match between Sidek and Sun will decide who goes into the semifinals from Group C. Both players sport 2-win and no-loss records.

In men's singles Group D, Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark managed to stay in the running with a 15-4 and 15-13 victory over Budi Santoso of Indonesia today. Hoyer had lost to Hu Zhilan of China yesterday.

The 1992 Olympic champion, Alan Budikusuma of Indonesia, beat Hu 15-4 and 15-4 and leads Group D with 2 wins.

Budikusuma plays Hoyer tomorrow in another key matchup. A Budikusuma victory means that he will be the outright Group D representative in the semis. For Hoyer to make the semifinals, he has to defeat Budikusuma and Santoso must beat Hu. If Hoyer and Hu both win, Hu will play in the semis.

In women's singles Group A, Gong Zhichao of China defeated Christine Gandrup of Sweden 11-4 and 11-8 to keep pace with Mia Audina of Indonesia. Audina defeated Gandrup in their match yesterday. The winner of the Audina versus Gong encounter tomorrow will decide the semifinalist from Group A.

In Group B, Yao Yan beat Meiluawati of Indonesia 11-8 and 11-2. Meiluawati plays the world champion, Ye Zhaoying of China, tomorrow. A win by Ye, who defeated Yao yesterday, will put her in the semis. An upset win by the Indonesian player will put Group B into a Gordian knot with the 3 players all sporting 1-win and 1-loss. The semifinalist will be decided by a prescribed tiebreaking procedure.

In Group C, Lidya Djaelawidjaya of Indonesia upset Camilla Martin of Denmark in a match that went into overtime or setting in the first and third games.

The Indonesian player squeezed past Martin in the first game win 12-10. She cracked in the second and lost it badly 4-11. The third game was a tossup but Djaelawidjaya managed to prevail 12-10.

Martin plays Wang Chen of China, the Group C seed, tomorrow. She has to beat Wang decisively in two straight games in order to get into the semifinals. A win by Wang, an 11-1 and 13-11 victor over Djaelawidjaya yesterday, puts her into the semis. Djaelawidjaya's chances rest with a Martin win in three games or in two close games.

In Group D, Han Jingna of China beat compatriot Zeng Yaqiong 11-2, 8-11 and 11-2 in a match originally scheduled for late yesterday. The unlucky Zeng then had to later play a second match, this one against Susi Susanti of Indonesia. Susanti beat Zeng, but only after some stiff opposition, 11-8 and 11-8.

Tomorrow's match between Susanti and Han will decide the semifinalist from Group D.

In men's doubles Group A, the Olympic gold medalists, Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky of Indonesia, and the silver medalists, Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock of Malaysia, each won the second of their three matches in the round-robin elimination. Both pairs assured themselves of a semifinal spot and their match tomorrow will be both for honor as well as placings.

The R-and-R pair defeated the Swedes Peter Axelsson and Par-Gunnar Jonsson 15-4 and 15-11, while the Malaysian doubles aces defeated Tony Gunawan and Rudy Wijaya of Indonesia 15-5 and 15-6.

In Group B, the red-hot team of Chandra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto assured themselves of the top placing with their second straight win, this one over Jon Holst-Christensen and Thomas Lund of Denmark 15-11 and 15-7.

Olympic bronze medalists and the current top-rated pair in the world, Denny Kantono and Antonius Iriantho of Indonesia, kept their hopes alive by defeating the Malaysian team of Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah, 15-5 and 17-13.

The winner of tomorrow's match between the Kantono-Antonius combo and the pair of Holst and Lund will become the second-placer from Group B and will play the victor of the R-and-R versus Cheah-and-Yap Group A match in the semifinals. Chandra Wijaya and Sigit, the Group B winners, will face the losers of tomorrow's key Group A encounter in the semis.

In women's doubles, Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongshu of China, the Olympic bronze medalists, cemented their grip on the Group A leadership with their second victory. They beat the Danish pair of Marlene Thomsen and Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen 17-14 and 15-9.

Indarti Isoliana and Denyana Lomban of Indonesia, the current world number ones who were upset by Qin and Tang yesterday, battled to beat Christine Gandrup and Marina Andrievskaia of Sweden 18-13 and 15-13 to remain in contention.

Isoliana and Lomban play Thomsen and Lisbet Stuer tomorrow for the other semifinal spot from Group A.

In Group B, Ge Fei and Gu Jun of China, the Olympic gold medalists, inched closer to a top placing in their pool by winning their second straight match. They beat the seeded pair of Eliza and Rosiana Zelin from Indonesia 15-9 and 15-11.

Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark kept their slim chances of getting to the semifinals alive by defeating Nicola Beck and Joanne Davies of England 15-7 and 15-3.

Kirkegaard and Olsen must beat Ge Fei and Gu Jun decisively in their match tomorrow or hope for a miraculous Beck-Davies win to have a chance at the semifinals. Victories by Kirkegaard-Olsen and Eliza-Zelin will place the group into a tiebreaking situation.

In mixed doubles Group A, Tri Kusheryanto and Minarti Timur of Indonesia, the top-rated pair in the world, beat the English-Danish duo of Chris Hunt and Helene Kirkegaard 15-7 and 15-3 to claim the group leadership with 2 wins.

Danes Thomas Stavngaard and Ann Jorgensen defeated Imam Tokari and Ema Ermawati of Indonesia 18-15 and 15-7 to tie Hunt and Kirkegaard for second place with 1-win and 1-loss records.

Kusheryanto and Timur battle Stanvgaard and Jorgensen while Hunt and Kirkegaard play Tohari and Ermawati in tomorrow's key matchups.

In Group B, Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark defeated Nick Ponting and Joanne Goode of England 15-4 and 15-3 to raise their record to a group-leading 2-wins and no-losses.

Nimpele Flandy and Rosalina Riseu of Indonesia beat Peter Axelsson and Catrine Bengtsson of Sweden 15-5 and 15-7 to boost their record to 1-win and 1-loss and to tie Ponting and Goode for second-place.

Axelsson and Bengtsson are no longer in contention for the semifinals with their 2 losses.

Sogaard and Olsen play Flandy and Riseu while Hunt and Kirkegaard face Axelsson and Bengtsson in the last day of the round-robin elimination stage tomorrow.