WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: TOP MIXED PAIRS MOVE INTO SEMIS

**This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS and their Southern U.S.A. agents, SPORTSNET INTERNATIONAL (Email:jumpsmash@aol.com /Tel:713-771-8905/Fax:713-771-4446)**

May 29, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - The seedings held true to form in the mixed doubles event at the world badminton championships in Glasgow, Scotland as the top four seeded pairs all won their quarterfinal matches to move on into the semifinals.

Top seeds Trikus Heryanto and Minarti Timur of Indonesia defeated Olympic gold medalist Kim Dong Moon and his silver-medalist partner Ra Kyung Min, both of Korea, 15-12 and 15-7. Kim and Ra performed below-par in the match. The two were playing under a storm of criticism over a highly uncompetitive match in an earlier round with compatriots Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Shin Young, and could be facing suspension or reprimand from the Korean team.

Second-seeds Miachel Sogaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark disposed of fifth seeds Imam Tohari and Eme Ermawati of Indonesia 15-5 and 15-12.

Third seeds Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark beat seventh-seeds Peter Axelsson and Catrine Bengtsson of Sweden 15-12 and 15-2, while the fourth seeds, Liu Yong and Ge Fei of China, defeated Lee Dong Soo and Yim Kyung Jin of Korea.

Liu and Ge had an easy first game against the Korean pair, winning at 15-6. The Koreans put up a stiff fight in the second, forcing the Chinese pair into a five point-setting at 13-all. Liu and Ge proved equal to the task in the tiebreak winning the game at 18-14.

Heryanto and Timur face off against Eriksen and Thomsen in one semifinal, while Sogaard and Olsen will battle Liu and Ge in the other.

(migrossman)