KONICA CUP (SINGAPORE OPEN): SUN, GONG TOP SEEDS

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July 21, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Chinese players Sun Jun and Gong Zhichao have been named top seeds in the singles events of the Konica Cup (Singapore Open) badminton tournament taking place this week at the National Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

Sun Jun and Gong Zhichao were among the Chinese entries who were withdrawn from last week's Indonesian Open after several of the top Chinese players had problems obtaining Indonesian visas. Sun is the 1997 world championships silver medalist in men's singles, and Gong took the silver medal in the women's singles event.

Women's doubles world champions Ge Fei and Gu Jun also from China are the top picks in their event, and men's doubles world champions Budiarto Sigit and Chandra Wijaya of Indonesia, winners of the Indonesian Open last week, lead the men's doubles entries which include the pairing of 1991 world men's singles champion Zhao Jian Hua of China and Patrick K.P. Lau of Singapore.

Following are the seeds for the Konica Cup (Singapore Open) shown in their relative order in the draw (number before the name or names indicates the seeding):

MEN'S SINGLES

1 - Sun Jun (China)
10 - Rosobin Jeffer (Indonesia)

6 - Fung Permadi (Taipei)
9 - Yong Hock Kin (Malaysia)

4 - Rashid Sidek (Malaysia)
15 - Henrik Bengtsson (Sweden)

5 - Indra Wijaya (Indonesia)
16 - Dicky Palyama (Netherlands)

12 - Jeroen van Dijk (Netherlands)
7 - Ardy Bernardus Wiranata (Indonesia)

13 - Hwang Sun Ho (Korea)
3 - Ong Ewe Hock (Malaysia)

14 - Jason Wong (Malaysia)
8 - Chen Gang (China)

11 - Wong Choon Hann (Malaysia)
2 - Heryanto Arbi (Indonesia)

WOMEN'S SINGLES

1 - Gong Zhichao (China)
6 - Cindana Hartono (Indonesia)

4 - Kim Ji Hyun (Korea)
7 - Judith Meulendijks (Netherlands)

5 - Lee Joo Hyun (Korea)
3 - Zhang Ning (China)

8 - Pornsawan Plungwech (Thailand)
2 - Mia Audina Tjiptawan (Indonesia)

MEN'S DOUBLES

1 - Budiarto Sigit/Chandra Wijaya (Indonesia)
7 - Nick Ponting/John Quinn (England)

3 - Lee Wan Wah/Choong Tan Fook (Malaysia)
5 - Halim/Dahvis (Indonesia)

6 - Hermono/Hian Eng (Indonesia)
4 - Tao Xiaoqiang/Ge Cheng (China)

8 - Tony Gunawan/Victo Wibowo (Indonesia)
2 - Lee Dong Soo/Yoo Yung Sung (Korea)

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

1 - Gu Jun/Ge Fei (China)
8 - Park So Yun/Cha Yoon Sook (Korea)

4 - Huang Nanyan/Liu Zhong (China)
6 - Yoshiko Iwata/Haruko Matsuda (Japan)

5 - Yim Kyung Jin/Chung Jae Hee (Korea)
3 - Liu Lu/Qian Hong (China)

7 - Hiroko Nagamine/Satomi Igawa (Japan)
2 - Indarti Isoliana/Denyana Lomban (Indonesia)

MIXED DOUBLES

1 - Lee Dong Soo/Yim Kyung Jin (Korea)
7 - Bambang Suprianto/Rosalina Riseu (Indonesia)

3 - Chen Xingdong/Gu Jun (China)
5 - Chan Chong Ming/Lim Pek Siah (Malaysia)

6 - Patrick K.P. Lau/Chin Yen Peng (Singapore)
4 - Tao Xiaoqiang/Qian Hong (China)

8 - Kim Dong Moon/Park So Yun (Korea)
2 - Chris Hunt/Donna Kellogg (England)

(migrossman)