EURO JUNIORS: DANES DOMINATE DOUBLES, DUTCH TAKE SINGLES

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS and their USA agents, CHIN SPORTS (chinsports@aol.com or 212-645-4142). **

April 7, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Players from Denmark ruled the doubles events at the European Junior badminton championships held this past week in Nymburk, Czechia, while Dutch players Dicky Palyama and Judith Meulendijks captured the male and female singles titles at this tournament for European badminton players below 19 years of age.

The Danes were very dominant in the doubles events, beating back semifinal challenges from the Russians, the Swedes, the English and the Germans and turning the three championship matches into all-Denmark contests.

In the male doubles final, Kasper Odum and Ove Svejstrup faced Kristian Langbak and Frederik Kohler, with Odum and Svejstrup winning at 15-7 and 15-6. The female doubles title match was between the pair of Jane Jacoby and Britta Andersen and the tandem of Lene Mork and Jane Bramsen. Mork and Bramsen beat their compatriots 17-15 and 15-11.

In the mixed doubles final, it was Ove Svejstrup and Britta Andersen battling Kristian Langbak and Jane Bramsen. Svejstrup and Andersen turned back the challenge from Langbak and Bramsen 15-10 and 15-12.

The male singles championship match was a battle between top-seed Richard Vaughn of Wales and second-seed Dicky Palyama of the Netherlands. And a battle it was. Vaughn and Palyama split the first two games, Vaughn taking the first at 15-11 and Palyama the second with an identical score. The two juniors fought to a 13-all standstill in the decider and went into a tense five-point setting before Palyama tallied a string of points to win 18-15.

The female singles final also went to three games before the title was decided. Denmark's Tine Rasmussen had her chances against the Netherland's Judith Meulendijks. Rasmussen won the first game 11-6 but the top-seeded Dutch girl clawed her way back to take the second in a tiebreak 12-9. In the third game, Meulendijks took control and won 11-6.

The scorelines:

MALE SINGLES
Semifinals
Richard Vaughn (Wales) beat Kasper Odum (Denmark) 15-6, 17-18, 15-8
Dicky Palyama (Netherlands) beat Nikolaj Nikolaenko (Russia) 15-6, 15-4
Finals
Dicky Palyama (Netherlands) beat Richard Vaughn (Wales) 11-15, 15-11, 18-15

FEMALE SINGLES
Semifinals
Judith Meulendijks (Netherlands) beat Ella Karachkova (Russia) 11-7, 11-4
Tine Rasmussen (Denmark) beat Donna Kellogg (England) 3-11, 11-5, 12-9
Finals
Judith Meulendijks (Netherlands) beat Tine Rasmussen (Denmark) 6-11, 12-9, 11-6

MALE DOUBLES
Semifinals
Kasper Odum/Ove Svejstrup (Denmark) beat Johan Holm/Patrik Isaksson (Sweden) 15-8, 15-9
Kristian Langbak/Frederik Kohler (Denmark) beat Joachim Tesche/Thomas Tesche (Germany) 15-6, 15-4
Finals
Kasper Odum/Ove Svejstrup (Denmark) beat Kristian Langbak/Frederik Kohler (Denmark) 15-7, 15-6

FEMALE DOUBLES
Semifinals
Jane Jacoby/Britta Andersen (Denmark) beat Zhanna Chornenkaja/Ella Karachkova (Russia) 15-6, 15-12
Lene Mork/Jane Bramsen (Denmark) beat Maria Kool/Maria Sofronova (Russia) 15-12, 15-12
Finals
Lene Mork/Jane Bramsen (Denmark) beat Jane Jacoby/Britta Andersen (Denmark) 17-15, 15-11

MIXED DOUBLES
Semifinals
Ove Svejstrup/Britta Andersen (Denmark) beat Kasper Odum/Lene Mork (Denmark) 15-1, 15-10
Kristian Langbak/Jane Bramsen (Denmark) beat David Linley/Donna Kellogg (England) 15-9, 15-9
Finals
Ove Svejstrup/Britta Andersen (Denmark) beat Kristian Langbak/Jane Bramsen (Denmark) 15-10, 15-12