** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is sponsored by YANG YANG BADMINTON SHUTTLES and their Canadian agents, LEE'S BADMINTON SUPPLIES (416-293-2100). **

INDIAN OPEN: LIGHTWEIGHT SHUTTLES THROW OFF VISITORS

February 13, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Visiting players at the four-star Indian Open badminton tournament being played this week in New Delhi had problems adjusting to the shuttles being used at the competition and several of the visitors dropped their opening round matches last night to their Indian opponents.

Some of the players reported that the Indian Open shuttles are lighter in weight than they are used to and that they had a hard time with timing, control and distance.

None of the seeds including Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark were in action last night.

Aparna Popat, the young Indian women's singles player who was a surprise silver medalist at the world junior championships in Denmark last November, won her opening singles match against Korean doubles specialist Park Soo Yun 11-6 and 11-6.

Other first round results from last night:

Men's Singles
Tam Kai Chuen (Hong Kong) beat Abhin Gupta (India) 8-15, 15-8, 15-11
Wong Choon Han (Malaysia) beat Deepankar Bhattacharja (India) 18-16, 17-18, 15-11
Vikrant Patwardhan (India) beat Yap Yee Hup (Malaysia) 15-12, 15-12
Sidharth Jain (India) beat Tam Lok Tin (Hong Kong) 15-18, 15-10, 15-3

Women's Singles
Choi Ma Rae (Korea) beat Felicity Gallup (England) 4-11, 11-4, 11-4
Aparna Popat (India) beat Park Soo Yun (Korea) 11-6, 11-6
Manjusha Kanwar (India) beat Winnie Lee (Malaysia) 11-3, 12-11

Men's Doubles
Koo Boo Hock/Pang Cheh Chang (Malaysia) beat Jaseel Ismail/Vijaydeep Singh (India) 17-14, 15-9

Women's Doubles
P.V.V. Lakshmi/P.V. Sharda (India) beat Lim Pek Siah/Chir Hooi Yee (Malaysia) 15-11, 17-14
Lee Soon Deuk/Choi Ma Rae (Korea) beat Winnie Lee/Lee Yin Yin (Malaysia) 15-5, 15-7

Mixed Doubles
Tan Kim Her/Chir Hooi Yee (Malaysia) beat Lee Suk Ho/Cha Yun Sook (Korea) 18-13, 6-15, 15-10
Pang Cheh Chang/Lim Pek Siah (Malaysia) beat Yim Bong Fon/Lee So Young (Korea) 15-11, 15-12