DANISH OPEN: GADE TOPPLES HOYER IN SEMIS

** 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 **

October 19, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Peter Gade Christensen, the talented 21-year old Danish badminton player, yesterday upset top-seeded veteran teammate Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen in the men's singles semifinals of the Danish Open tournament in the city of Vejle. Gade, the fourth seed, completely outplayed his 31-year old compatriot 15-5 and 15-5 to gain a place in this afternoon's finals.

In the other men's singles semifinal, the third-seeded Dong Jiong of China eliminated Roslin Hashim of Malaysia 15-9 and 15-7.

Camilla Martin, the top pick in the women's singles event, also advanced into today's championship matches. Martin was too skilled and strong for Mette Sorensen, the seventh seed who is also from Denmark. The top-rated Dane easily won 11-1 and 11-0.

Fourth seed Mette Pedersen, another Dane, and sixth-seeded teammate Anne Sondergaard played the other women's singles semifinal, with Pedersen taking three games to defeat Sondergaard 11-3, 9-11 and 11-3.

Mixed doubles top-seeds Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen, both from the host country, capped their day with a championship win in the event. Eriksen and Thomsen defeated second-seeded compatriots Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen 15-6 and 18-14 in the mixed doubles final played yesterday.

In the men's doubles semifinals, top-seeds Jon Holst-Christensen and Michael Sogaard from Denmark beat England's Simon Archer and Chris Hunt, the third picks, 11-15, 15-0 and 15-12, while fourth seeds Jesper Larsen and Jens Eriksen, another Danish pair, went through to the finals when injury struck the duo of Nick Ponting and John Quinn in the second game with the Danes ahead 7-0. Larsen and Eriksen had won the opener 15-9.

The third-seeded team of Yoshiko Iwata and Haruko Matsuda of Japan defeated Nicola Beck and Joanne Davies of England in one of the women's doubles semifinals, 15-2 and 15-4. Fifth seeds Ann Jorgensen and Majken Vange of Denmark upset the number two-rated Danish pair of Marlene Thomsen and Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen 15-12 and 15-12.

(dsimmons)