GERMAN OPEN: DANES PICKED TO WIN

** 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 29, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Players from Denmark led by Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen and Camilla Martin have been picked to win the titles at the German Open badminton tournament being held this week at Saarbrucken, Germany. Hoyer, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist who recently broke out of a year-long championship drought, is the top-seed in the men's singles event, while Martin is seeded number one in women's singles.

Seeded first in men's doubles is the pair of Jon Holst-Christensen and Michael Sogaard. Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen hold down the top-seeded position in women's doubles, and the team of Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen is the top entry in the mixed doubles event.

Conspicuously absent are top-rated players from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Korea. The Chinese have not entered the German Open because of the All China Games being held in Shanghai in October, while the Indonesians and Malaysians are staying home to prepare for the South East Asian Games slated for mid-October in Jakarta. The Koreans are rebuilding their team which has been decimated by the retirement of top singles player Park Sung Woo and the call-up to military service of singles aces Kim Hak Kyun and Lee Kwang Jin.

With the absence of top entries from these strong badminton countries, the seeding lists for this four-star badminton tournament are unusually filled with names from Western nations.

The seeds:

Men's Singles
1 - Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Denmark)
2 - Peter Rasmussen (Denmark)
3 - Peter Gade Christensen (Denmark)
4 - Jeroen van Dijk (Netherlands)
5 - Kevin Han (USA)
6 - Thomas Johansson (Sweden)
7 - Kenneth Jonassen (Denmark)
8 - Keita Matsuda (Japan)
9 - Thomas Sogaard (Denmark)
10 - Rikard Magnusson (Sweden)
11 - Darren Hall (England)
12 - Chris Bruil (Netherlands)
13 - Martin Lundgaard Hansen (Denmark)
14 - Oliver Pongratz (Germany)
15 - Dicky Palyama (Netherlands)
16 - Anders Boesen (Denmark)

Women's Singles
1 - Camilla Martin (Denmark)
2 - Marina Andrievskaya (Sweden)
3 - Mette Pedersen (Denmark)
4 - Anne Sondergaard (Denmark)
5 - Mette Sorensen (Denmark)
6 - Joanne Muggeridge (England)
7 - Kelly Morgan (Wales)
8 - Margit Borg (Sweden)

Men's Doubles
1 - J Holst-Christensen/M Sogaard (Denmark)
2 - J Laugessen/T Stavngaard (Denmark)
3 - P Axelsson/P G Jonsson (Sweden)
4 - S Archer/C Hunt (England)
5 - J Eriksen/J Larsen (Denmark)
6 - N Ponting/J Quinn (England)
7 - M Helber/B Siegemund (Germany)
8 - P Blackburn/D Bamford (Australia)

Women's Doubles
1 - H Kirkegaard/R Olsen (Denmark)
2 - L Stuer-Lauridsen/M Thomsen (Denmark)
3 - M Hoogland/E van den Heuvel (Netherlands)
4 - A Jorgensen/M Vange (Denmark)
5 - N Beck/J Davies (England)
6 - E Middlemiss/S Watt (Scotland)
7 - C Bengtsson/M Andrievskaya (Sweden)
8 - J Muggeridge/F Gallup (England)

Mixed Doubles
1 - J Eriksen/M Thomsen (Denmark)
2 - M Sogaard/R Olsen (Denmark)
3 - C Hunt/D Kellogg (England)
4 - P Axelsson/C Bengtsson (Sweden)
5 - M Keck (Germany)/E van den Heuvel (Netherlands)
6 - P Blackburn/R Cator (Australia)
7 - J Rasmussen/A-L Jorgensen (Denmark)
8 - M Hocking/L Campbell (Australia)

Following are the potential round-of-16 matchups in men's singles, if the seeded players win their matches in the early rounds:

P-E Hoyer-Larsen vs R Magnusson
K Han vs T Sogaard
J van Dijk vs M Lundgaard Hansen
K Jonassen vs D Hall
A Boesen vs K Matsuda
D Palyama vs P Gade-Christensen
O Pongratz vs T Johansson
C Bruil vs P Rasmussen

Following are the potential quarterfinal matchups in women's singles and the three doubles events, if the seeded players win their matches in the early rounds:

Women's Singles
C Martin vs J Muggeridge
M Pedersen vs M Borg
K Morgan vs A Sondergaard
M Sorensen vs M Andrievskaya

Men's Doubles
J Holst-Christensen/M Sogaard vs N Ponting/J Quinn
P Axelsson/P G Jonsson vs J Eriksen/J Larsen
D Bamford/P Blackburn vs S Archer/C Hunt
M Helber/B Siegemund vs J Laugessen/T Stavngaard

Women's Doubles
H Kirkegaard/R Olsen vs J Muggeridge/F Gallup
M Hoogland/E van den Heuvel vs C Bengtsson/M Andrievskaya
J Davies/N Beck vs A Jorgensen/M Vange
E Middlemiss/S Watt vs M Thomsen/L Stuer-Lauridsen

Mixed Doubles
J Eriksen/M Thomsen vs P Blackburn/R Cator
C Hunt/D Kellogg vs M Keck/E van den Heuvel
J Rasmussen/A-L Jorgensen vs P Axelsson/C Bengtsson
M Hocking/L Campbell vs M Sogaard/R Olsen

Some key early round matches:

Men's Singles:

First Round -
Ismail Saman (Malaysia) vs D Hall
Jesper Olsson (Sweden) vs A Boesen
Peter Janum (Denmark) vs O Pongratz
Tadashi Ohtsuka (Japan) vs C Bruil

Second Round -
Jens Olsson (Sweden) vs K Jonassen
M. Roslin Hashim (Malaysia) vs P Rasmussen

Women's Singles

First Round -
Brenda Beenhakker (Netherlands) vs M Borg
Irina Yakusheva (Russia) vs M Andrievskaya

Second Round -
Charmaine Reid (Canada) vs J Muggeridge
Kaneko Yonekura (Japan) vs K Morgan
Monique Hoogland (Netherlands) vs M Sorensen

Men's Doubles

First Round -
Jonas Rasmussen/Peder Nissen (Denmark) vs D Bamford/P Blackburn
Ove Svejstrup/Jan Jorgensen (Denmark) vs M Helber/B Siegemund

Second Round -
Tan Kim Her/Rosman Razak (Malaysia) vs winner of Rasmussen/Nissen-Bamford/ Blackburn match

Women's Doubles

Second Round -
Anne Mette Bille (Denmark)/Margit Borg (Sweden) vs J Muggeridge/F Gallup
Britta Andersen/Ann-Lou Jorgensen (Denmark) vs C Bengtsson/M Andrievskaya

Mixed Doubles

Second Round -
O Svejstrup/B Andersen (Denmark) vs P Blackburn/R Cator
J Holst-Christensen/A Jorgensen (Denmark) vs M Keck/E van den Heuvel
S Archer/N Beck (England) vs M Hocking/L Campbell

(mcoe/migrossman)