ZHU FENG OF CHINA CONQUERS INDON AT WORLD JUNIOR FINAL
Indonesia Shut Out of World Junior Titles
by Mike Grossman (with information from Sheila Patel at the World Junior Championships Press Desk)

November 24, 1996 (New Shuttlenws) - The Chinese player Zhu Feng became the badminton world under-19 champion in male singles play when he defeated Rudy Ignatius of Indonesia in the finals of the world junior championships in Silkeborg, Denmark today.

At the start, it appeared that Zhu was in for a long day as Ignatius, Indonesia's last hope for a world junior title this year, played him tough in the first game and pulled off a very close 17-16 win to get the advantage over Zhu.

However, the first game effort coupled with his hard-fought and tiring 17-16, 17-14 semifinal win over Xia Xunze yeaterday proved costly to Ignatius and Indonesia as he ran out of steam in the second and third games.

Zhu Feng then took control of the match and won the next two games and the championship 15-4 and 15-6.

Zhu's victory over Ignatius means that China will go away from Silkeborg with at least 3 gold medals and maybe four. Chinese players Wang Wei and Lu Ying had won the mixed doubles title yesterday, while two Chinese pairs are playing each other in the female doubles finals. Female singles second seed Yu Hua is also in the finals against the unseeded giant-killer Aparna Popat of India.

Ignatius' loss means that Indonesia is shut out of the gold medals at this world junior championships, a great disappointment for the pre-eminent badminton world power.