ASIA CUP: DAY 1 RESULTS

February 19, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - On the opening day of the Asia Cup men's team badminton tournament being held at the Senayan Indoor Tennis Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia this week, favorites Indonesia and Malaysia, playing without most of their top shuttlers, defeated their respective opponents without dropping a single match.

Most of the best Indonesian and Malaysian players have chosen to forego a chance at the US$80,000 purse for the first place team in order to prepare for the upcomimg prestigious All-England Open. (Total prize money at this year's Asia Cup is US$150,000).

Indonesia beat India in their Group A encounter 3 matches to none, while, in Group B, Malaysia defeated Hong Kong by a similiar score. (At this men's team tournament, each encounter consists of three matches - a men's singles, a men's doubles and a second men's singles).

Both 3-0 wins were expected, although Malaysia's Ong Ewe Hock was extended to three games by Tam Kai Chuen in the opening men's singles match of the Malaysia versus Hong Hong encounter.

Taiwan kept pace with Indonesia in Group A with a 2-1 win over Thailand, and a strong Korean team matched Malaysia in Group B by whipping Japan 3-0.

The Results
Group A:
Indonesia defeated India 3-0
(Indra Wijaya - Indonesia beat Pullela Gopi Chand 15-9, 15-4;
Sigit Budiarto/Chandra Wijaya - Indonesia beat Jaseel Ismail/Vijaydeep Singh 15-1, 15-2;
Budi Santoso - Indonesia beat Sidharth Jain 15-2, 18-13).

Taiwan defeated Thailand 2-1
(Fung Permadi - Taiwan beat Natapol Sarawan 15-9,15-0;
Pramote Teerawiwatana/Siripong Siripul - Thailand beat Chien Yu Hsun/Huang Shih Chung 15-9, 15-2;
Chang Jeng Shyuang - Taiwan beat Anupharb Teeraratsakul 15-12, 15-6).

Group B:

Malaysia defeated Hong Kong 3-0
(Ong Ewe Hock - Malaysia beat Tam Kai Chuen 15-6, 5-15, 15-6;
Tan Kim Her/Lee Wan Wah - Malaysia beat Ma Chi Kong/Chow Kim Man 15-11, 15-2;
Pang Chen - Malaysia beat Liu Kwok Wah 15-2, 15-1).

Korea defeated Japan 3-0
(Park Sung Woo beat Takahiro Suka 15-2, 15-4;
Lee Dong Soo/Yoo Yong Sung - Korea beat Shinji Ohta/Takuya Takehana 15-5, 15-8;
Han Dong Sung - Korea beat Yuso Kubota 15-5, 15-7).

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