CHINA OPEN: DAY TWO IS BLUE FOR VISITING PLAYERS

** 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 **

November 7, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - The top badminton players from Denmark, Indonesia, the Netherlands and Taipei left Huangpu stadium in Shanghai yesterday, singing the blues. They had just been eliminated from the five-star China Open badminton championships mainly by players from the host country.

For Denmark, only men's singles top seed Peter Gade Christensen came thru unscathed. But even he had some difficulty and was extended in his round-of-16 match against China's Chen Gang. Gade though prevailed 8-15, 15-8 and 15-10 to move into the quarterfinals where he will play Indonesia's Budi Santoso.

Santoso gained his spot in the men's singles elite eight with an easy 15-1 and 15-0 victory over Rikard Magnusson of Sweden.

The other Danes and Indons did not fare as well in men's singles.

World champion Peter Rasmussen could not survive having to play two tough three-game matches on the same day. In the second round, Rasmussen overcame Zhu Feng, the world junior champion from China, 15-7, 7-15 and 15-11. Several hours later, he played an in-form Henrik Bengtsson of Sweden. Rasmussen easily took the first game 15-8, but he did not have the legs to play his attacking style late in the second and third sets. He dropped both games to the Swede 11-15 and 7-15.

Soren B. Nielsen, the Danish veteran player, was eliminated by Chinese number one Dong Jiong in the second round 15-2 and 15-12.

1993 world champion Joko Suprianto of Indonesia also went home singing the blues. Suprianto was put out of the China Open by the youthful Ji Xinpeng of China in the second round 7-15 and 7-15.

Marleve Mainaky, another of the Indonesian men's singles players, lost to China's Dong Jiong in the round-of-16, while his teammate Hendrawan was beaten by Chinese number two Sun Jun.

Defending champion Fung Permadi of Taipei also turned in a disappointing performance yesterday. He fell to Chen Hong of China 9-15, 15-11 and 9-15.

In women's doubles, the third and the fourth seeded pairs from Denmark also went crashing out of the tournament. Third seeds Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen were defeated by Yang Wei and Gao Ling of China 15-8 and 15-10, while fourth seeds Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen lost to Gong Ruina and Yao Jie, another of the high-caliber Chinese pairs, 15-11 and 15-8.

In men's doubles, Denmark's Janek Roos and Michael Sogaard, seeded eighth, fell to China's Zhang Jun and Yang Ming 15-13 and 15-3.

Players from the Netherlands also went home disappointed. Eighth seed Judith Meulendijks was clobbered in a women's singles first round match by Hong Kong Open champion Gong Ruina 11-1 and 11-4. Her teammate Brenda Beenhakker was beaten by the sisth seeded Wang Chen 11-0 and 11-3.

The Malaysian contingent did not join the blues singers. Ong Ewe Hock escaped from the men's singles second round with a hard-won victory over China's Yang Zhou 15-8, 14-17 and 15-7. He then moved into the quarterfinals with a 15-12 and 15-7 win over Xiao Ting, another of the quality Chinese players.
{Malaysian men's doubles players Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook, the third seeds, also moved ahead, defeating Wang Wei and Cheng Rui of China in the second round.

(wangc/dsimmons)