WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: IT'S CHINA VERSUS DENMARK IN MIXED FINALS

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May 30, 1997 (NEW SUTTLENWS) - China's Liu Yong and Ge Fei, the hottest mixed doubles pair so far this year, defeated second seeds Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark while third-seeds Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen repeated their mastery over the top-seeded Indonesian pairing of Trikus Heryanto and Minarti Timur in today's mixed doubles semifinal matches at the world badminton championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Liu and Ge struggled in the early going against Sogaard and Olsen, falling behind 0-7 before they got into gear and overhauled the Danish lead with excellent power and touch from Liu and superb control of the net from Ge. Liu and Ge took the first 15-10.

In the second, the two pairs kept pace with each other into mid-game, matching scores until 9-all. At this point, the Chinese started to pull away as Olsen's flexibility and movement seemed to be hampered by a back injury.

Ge began the Chinese push with a flick serve to Olsen to place the score at 10-9. Liu and Ge moved the score to 14-9 but the Danes fought off five match points before the Chinese pair could score the match-winner.

The other semifinal went to the wire. Heryanto and Timur took the first game 15-8, but the Danes came back, riding Eriksen's power to win the second 15-13.

The third went to tiebreak at 14-all with the Danes finally winning at 17-15.

In men's doubles quarterfinal action, top seeds Sigit Budiarto and Chandra Wijaya of Indonesia beat the thirteenth seeds Thomas Stavngaard and Jim Laugessen of Denmark 18-16 and 15-2. The second seeds Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock of Malaysia eliminated the fifteenth seeds Jon Holst-Christensen and Michael Sogaard 15-12 and 15-12. Third seeds Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja disposed of the seventh-seeded Russians Nikolaj Zuev and Andrej Antropov 15-10 and 15-10, and twelfth seeded Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yung Sung of Korea beat Sweden's Peter Axelsson and Par-Gunnar Jonsson, the eleventh seeds, 17-16 and 17-14.

SIgit and Wijaya will face Lee and Yoo in one of tomorrow's men's doubles semifinals. Cheah and Yap will play Mainaky and Subagja.

In women's doubles quarterfinal play, top-seeds Ge Fei and Gu Jun of China had another untroubled win, this one over Rikke Olsen and Helene Kirkegaard of Denmark 15-2 and 15-8. Second seeds Resiana Zelin and Eliza of Indonesia trounced Malaysians Chor Hooi Yee and Lim Pek Siah 15-6 and 15-2.

The third seeds, Denyana Lomban and Indarti Isoliana of Indonesia, were upset by the seventh seeds, Qian Hong and Liu Lu of China, 15-10 and 15-6.

Olympic bronze medalists Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongshu of China, the fifth seeds here, beat the fourth seeds, Marlene Thomsen and Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen of Denmark, 7-15, 15-8 and 15-1.

Ge and Gu will battle compatriots Qian and Liu in one of tomorrow's semifinals, with Zelin and Eliza facing off against Qin and Tang in the other.

(martincoe/migrossman)