U.S. OPEN: SEEDS COME TUMBLING DOWN

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS REPORT is presented by badminton world champions YANG YANG (1987 and 1989) and ZHAO JIAN HUA (1991) and by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS **

September 11, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Several seeded players including the men's singles top-seed Dong Jiong of China made unscheduled exits from the U.S. Open badminton championships being held in the city of Orange in southern California.

Dong, the world's top-rated men's singles player, was defeated by Alan Budi Kusuma of Indonesia in the round-of-16 yesterday 15-13 and 18-13.

Peter Rasmussen of Denmark, the world champion and seeded third here, fell to thirteenth seeded Jeroen van Dijk of the Netherlands. Rasmussen, who is playing in his first tournament after sustaining a training injury and is still not in top condition, lost the second and third games to the Dutch player 6-15 and 7-15 after he had taken the first easily 15-4.

Ardy Wiranata of Indonesia, the fourth seed, was another upset victim. The Indonesian ace was toppled by tenth-seed Luo Yigang of China 15-5, 10-15 and 7-15.

Eighth seed Fung Permadi joined the exodus of seeds when he was defeated by Marleve Mainaky of Indonesia 1-15, 15-4 and 6-15.

Second seed Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark flirted with disaster in his match against Chen Gang of China. Hoyer lost the first to the young Chinese player 6-15, but got his game going and won the next two 15-7 and 15-10.

In a late men's singles second-round match on Tuesday, the USA's Kevin Han, the fourteenth seed in men's singles, was eliminated by Liu Ern Hong of Taipei 12-15 and 6-15.

In women's singles, Takako Ida of Japan showed sixth-seed Anne Sondergaard of Denmark the exit door 12-9 and 11-5 in another round-of-16 matchup. In another upset, Cindy Shi, the USA women's singles champion, defeated seventh seeded Denyse Julien of Canada, 5-11, 11-5 and 11-2.

In mixed doubles, Luo Yigang and Qin Yiyuan of China surprised the fourth seeds Michael Keck of Germany and Erica van den Heuvel of the Netherlands 15-12 and 15-9 in a first round encounter.

Another Chinese pair, Chen Gang and Tang Yongshu, accounted for the seventh seeds Julian Robertson and Lorraine Cole of England 15-13 and 15-2 in a round-of-16 match.

Top English doubles specialist Simon Archer teamed up with Joanne Davies and eliminated the mixed doubles eighth seeds Ha tae Kwon and Chung Jae Hee of China 12-15, 15-6 and 15-8.

Results of other round-of-16 matches yesterday (number before name indicates seeding):

Men's Singles
5 - Peter Gade Christensen (Denmark) beat 16 - Hwang Sun Ho (Korea) 15-6 and 15-7
6 - Hermawan Susanto (Indoenesia) beat 15 - Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 18-17, 16-18 and 15-5
7 - Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen (Denmark) beat Liu Ern Hong (Taipei) 15-2 and 15-6

Women's Singles
1 - Camilla Martin (Denmark) beat Becky Wu (USA) 11-1 and 11-5
8 - Kelly Morgan (Wales) beat Charmaine Reed (Canada) 11-0 and 11-0
3 - Han Jingna (China) beat Kathy Zimmerman (USA) 11-4 and 11-0
5 - Mette Pedersen (Denmark) beat Monique Hoogland (Netherlands) 11-1 and 11-4
4 - Marina Andrievskaya (Sweden) beat Sandra Watt (Scotland) 11-4 and 11-2
2 - Dai Yun (China) beat Brigitte Lacaille (Canada) 11-2 and 11-2

Men's Doubles
1 - Antonius B I/D Kantono (Indonesia) beat Chiang H L/Liu E H(Taipei) 15-8 and 15-9
8 - Kim D M/Ha T K (Korea) beat R Hogg/K Middlemiss (Scotland) 15-3 and 15-7
3 - T Stavngaard/J Laugessen (Denmark) beat K Hooi/Chong W K (USA) 4-15, 15-9 and 18-15
6 - S Archer/C Hunt (England) beat M Beres/B Moody (Canada) 15-3 and 15-7
5 - Liu Y/Zhang W (China) beat I Sydie/D Yung (Canada) 18-15 and 15-1
4 - P Axelsson/P G Jonsson (Sweden) beat S Wo/H Ly (USA) 15-2 and 15-5
7 - V Wibowo/T Gunawan (Indonesia) beat B Abra/B Olynyk (Canada) 15-9 and 15-6
2 - J Holst-Christensen/M Sogaard (Denmark) beat Horng H J/Lee W J (Taipei) 15-1 and 15-5

Women's Doubles
1 - Tang Y/Qin Y (China) beat J Patrick/N Methot (Canada) 15-0 and 15-2
7 - Chung J H/Ra K M (Korea) beat A Edstrom (USA)/K Solmundson (Canada) 15-2 and 15-8
3 - M Vange/A Jorgensen (Denmark) beat R Hermitage/D Julien (Canada) 15-12 and 15-12
8 - M Andrievskaya/C Bengtsson (Sweden) beat J Wright/L Cole (England) 15-6 and 15-2
6 - S Watt/E Middlemiss (Scotland) beat J Lavoie/B Lacaille (Canada) 15-4 and 15-2
4 - J Davies/N Beck (England) beat J Tan/S Hsu (USA) 15-4 and 15-4
5 - E v d Heuvel/M Hoogland (Netherlands) beat Han J/Dai Y (China) 15-4, 8-15 and 15-10
2 - Y Iwata/H Matsuda (Japan) beat B Wu/E Tang (USA) 15-2 and 15-4

Mixed Doubles
1 - C Hunt/D Kellogg (England) beat M Edstrom/A Edstrom (USA) 15-4 and 15-8
6 - I Sydie/D Julien (Canada) beat R Hogg/S Watt (Scotland) 6-1 (Hogg/Watt were unable to continue) Luo Y/Qin Y (China) beat A Dabeka/B Richardson (Canada) 15-2 and 15-3
5 - Kim D M/Ra K M (Korea) beat N Robertson/J Wright (England) 15-12 and 15-5
3 - B Suprianto/R Riseu (Indonesia) beat J P Goyette/E Ong (Canada) 18-15 and 15-2
2 - P Axelsson/C Bengtsson (Sweden) beat Ben Wu/Becky Wu (USA) 15-0 and 15-3

(mcoe)