HONG KONG OPEN: GADE CELEBRATES TOP WORLD RANKING

** 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 29, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Peter Gade Christensen, Denmark's super-
talented 20-year old badminton singles player, celebrated his newly-announced
number one world ranking today by winning his two scheduled matches at the
five-star Hong Kong Open championships and moving into the third round of
play.

Gade, the second seed at this tournament, beat Cham Ka Man of Hong Kong 15-0
and 15-3 in the first round and then defeated Kantharoopan Ponniah of
Malaysia
15-7 and 15-5.

Gade's celebration may be short-lived. His third-round opponent is the former
men's singles world champion, Joko Suprianto of Indonesia who defeated Yang
Bing of China and later Jeng Yu-chi of Taipei. Suprianto is seeded ninth.

Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark, the men's singles top seed, withdrew
earlier in the week. Hoyer chose to stay home to be with his wife Heidi who
is
about to give birth to the couple's second child.

Rashid Sidek and Ismail Saman of Malaysia, the eighth and the fourteenth
seeds, also pulled out due to reported injuries.

Third seed Peter Rasmussen of Denmark had a walkover in the first round when
Roslin Hashim of Malaysia was a no-show. Rasmussen later defeated Lee Hyun Il
of Korea 15-7 and 15-6. Rasmussen will face Indonesia's Marleve Mainaky, the
fifth seed, in the third round.

Fourth seed Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen, another of the talented Danes, had two
very easy matches. He demolished Wong Kan Wah of Hong Kong 15-1 and 15-2 in
the opening round. Later in the day, he whipped Bae Di Gae of Korea 15-2 and
15-0.

Budi Santoso, the highest seed among the Indonesian men's singles entries at
number five, also went through to the third round, beating Lam Hoi Tak of
Hong
Kong and Xie Min of China.

Most of the top Indonesians like Heryanto Arbi, Indra Wijaya, Chandra Wijaya,
Sigit Budiarto, Ricky Subagja, Rexy Mainaky and Mia Audina have not entered
the Hong Kong Open due to the Indonesian national badminton championships
that
is being contested this week in Bandung, Indonesia.

(mcoe/dsimmons)

COPYRIGHT 1997 by NEW SHUTTLENWS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.