MALAYSIAN OPEN: WORLD CHAMPIONS LIU AND GE STROLL INTO SEMIFINALS

**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)**

July 10, 1997 - (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Mixed doubles world champions Liu Yong and Ge Fei of China made their way easily into the semifinals of their event in today's action at the Malaysian Open badminton tournament in Kota Kinabalu.

The top-seeded pair of Liu and Ge started out by beating Jesper Larsen and Helene Kirkegaard of Denmark 15-5 and 15-2 in a second round match, and later on defeated the unseeded Korean pair of Yoo Yong Sung and Chung Jae Hee in the quarterfinals 15-5 and 15-10.

The Korean pair had earlier on upset the 5-to-8 seeded Indonesians Sandiarto and Finarsih 15-18, 15-8 and 15-7.

The world champions were joined in the march to the semifinals by second- seeds Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark, 3-to-4 seeds Imam Tohari and Ema Ermawati of Indonesia, and the other 3-to-4 seeds, Trikus Heryanto and Minarti Timur, also of Indonesia.

Mixed doubles semifinal matchups are Liu and Ge versus Tohari and Ermawati, and Eriksen-Thomsen versus Heryanto-Timur.

In men's singles, 9-to-16 seed Hermawan Susanto of Indonesia beat the World Grand Prix Finals champion, Fung Permadi of Taipei in a third round match. Fung, a 5-to-8 seed ,was only in the match in the first game, won by Susanto 15-11. In the second game, Fung faded and was soundly beaten by Susanto 15-4.

Rashid Sidek of Malaysia, a 3-to-4 seed, made good use of a night's rest and was an aggressive victor over the 9-to-16 seeded Indonesian Salim, 15-12 and 15-8. In yesterday's matches, Sidek was slow and seemed tired specially in his second match of the day where he had a close call against the Korean Kim Hyung Joon.

The other top picks in men's singles led by Joko Suprianto booked their places in tomorrow's quarterfinals.

In women's singles, two seeds were upset. 5-to-8 seed Julia Mann of England was beaten by Lee Kyung Won of Korea 9-11, 11-5 and 11-5. Another 5-to-8 seed, Lee Joo Hyun of Korea, went down to defeat at the hands of Indonesia's Yuli Marfuah 5-11, 12-10 and 11-5.

World champion Ye Zhaoying of China won her match against Japan's Naoko Miyake 11-4 and 11-2, while second-seed Susi Susanti also qualified for the quarterfinals by defeating one of China's junior stars, Yu Hua, 11-5 and 11-5.

In men's doubles, Pramote Teerawiwatana and Siripong Siripol of Thailand ousted 5-to-8 seeds Zhang Wei and Liu Yong of China 15-7 and 15-12.

In women's doubles, Koreans Park So Yun and Cha Yoon Sook eliminated the 5-to-8 seeded Malaysians Chor Hooi Yee and Lim Pek Siah 15-9 and 15-11, and another Korean pair, Yim Kyung Jin and Chung Jae Hee, ousted 5-to-8 seeds Cynthia Tuankotta and Etty Tantri of Indonesia, 8-15, 15-3 and 15-6.

Junior Chinese players Yu Hua and Zhou Mi added to the ouster of 5-to-8 seeds when they beat Indonesians Nonong Denis Zanati and Carmelita 15-13 and 15-10.

(migrossman)