WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: LIU YONG AND GE FEI TAKE MIXED TITLE

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May 31, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Chinese players Liu Yong and Ge Fei captured the mixed doubles gold medal this afternoon at the badminton world championships being contested at Glasgow, Scotland. The Chinese pair, unbeaten in individual competition since they started playing together early this year, defeated Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark in the championship match.

After Eriksen had opened the scoring for Denmark with a crosscourt drop, the Chinese pair tallied five points mainly on Ge's serves and shots to lead in the first game. The Danes countered with several markers on Eriksen's power strokes but could not make up the early difference.

Liu and Ge upped their advantage with Liu using drops and smashes to score or to set up Ge Fei for killshots. Ge also took her turn at the back and also set up Liu for scoring chances in the midcourt or at the net.

Ahead at 11-5, Liu again set up Ge for a crosscourt killshot to gain their twelfth point. Then, the Chinese attack pressured Eriksen into a wide lift in the next rally.

After Eriksen had wiped out Liu's service turn, a short serve by Ge Fei resulted in a Thomsen return out-of-bounds. In the next rally, Eriksen's try at a tricky crosscourt netshot into an open spot failed and gave the Chinese the first game at 15-5.

In the second game, the Chinese raced to a 4-0 lead before the Danes struck back for three. The Chinese pulled away to a 10-3 advantage, pressuring Eriksen and Thomsen into errors.

Eriksen's kill-kill-kill combination started a Danish comeback attempt, but an Eriksen serve into net and a Ge smash between the two Danes halted the Danish string at 6.

The Chinese then pressured and attacked to gain the important thirteenth point. At this point, excellent play by the Danes and errors by the Chinese pair enabled Eriksen and Thomsen to get close. With their supporters cheering and pounding the drums, the Danes came back and finally tied up the game at 14-all on a Ge Fei shot that went wide.

The Chinese chose to go with a three-point setting. Liu mishit a driveshot to give the Danes the lead in the tiebreak 1-0. Liu made amends on the next rally, angling a smash at Eriksen to take away the first serve.

The Danes lost their second serve when Liu's netshot return pressured Thomsen into a push shot that went wide. Eriksen handed the Chinese a point when he tried for a touch sevice return and hit the shuttle into the net.

A succession of Liu drives forced Eriksen into netting a reply, giving the Chinese a match point. The Danes regained the serve after first pressuring Ge into a shot that went long and then, on the next rally, deceiving Ge with a fake push shot that turned into a net shot.

The Danes again pulled even as a Chinese attack ended with an errant angled smash from Liu. On the next exchange, the Danes got the attack and Eriksen scored the game winner with a followup killshot in Liu's direction.

The Danish supporters in the stands went wild with their cheers and drums.

In the third game, the Chinese would not be denied. They raced to a 5-0 lead and kept the pressure on the now-erratic Eriksen. The Chinese reached match point on attacking play that ended when Liu jump-killed a loose Danish block and hit Thomsen in the leg.

The Danes stopped the Chinese momentarily. Eriksen's drive down the middle took away the Chinese serve, and then Thomsen scored the fourth point for the Danes with a brushing killshot.

Two Danish miscues ended their turn at service.

The Chinese did not waste their chance at match point this time. Ge's short serve started a driveshot exchange. The Danes hit a reply that popped up and Ge pounded the shuttle with a crosscourt smash in Thomsen's direction for the championship winner.

(martincoe/migrossman)