VIETNAM OPEN: INDONESIAN LOVE TEAM GAINS FINALS

** 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 22, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Alan Budi Kusuma and Susi Susanti of Indonesia, real-life husband-and-wife and both super-elite badminton singles players, won their semifinal matches today at the Vietnam Open badminton championships in Hanoi. Kusuma, the men's singles fourth seed, scored a minor upset with his very hard-fought 15-9, 6-15, 17-14 victory over second seed Luo Yigang of China. Susanti, the top pick in the women's singles event, easily put out Kim Ji Hyun of Korea, the third seed, 11-2 and 11-4.

With his win today, Kusuma, ranked number seventeen in the world, moved closer to one of the coveted sixteen men's singles berths in the World Grand Prix Finals scheduled for mid-December in Jakarta. A victory in the finals tomorrow against fifth seed Chen Gang of China will cement his spot in the year-ending tournament of champions and super-elite players.

Results of today's semifinal matches:

Men's Singles
5-Chen Gang (China) beat 7-Kenneth Jonassen (Denmark) 15-11, 15-4
4-Alan Budi Kusuma (Indonesia) beat 2-Yuo Ligang (China) 15-9, 6-15, 17-14
Women's Singles
1-Susi Susanti (Indonesia) beat 3-Kim Ji Hyun (Korea) 11-2, 11-4
Xu Huaiwen (China) beat Chan Ya-lin (Taipei) 11-6, 11-9
Men's Doubles
1-Yoo Yung Sung/Lee Dong Soo (Korea) beat Ge Cheng/Tao Xiaogang (China) 15-9, 15-8
2-Ricky Subagia/Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) beat Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock (Malaysia) 15-8, 15-5
Women's Doubles
1-Eliza Nathanael/Resiana Zelin (Indonesia) beat Park Soo Yun/Gil Young Ah (Korea) 15-1, 15-6
3-Denyana Lombana/Isolina Indarti (Indonesia) beat Kim Ji Hyun/Jung Eun Hwa (Korea) 15-8, 15-5
Mixed Doubles
Lee Dong Soo/Park Soo Yun (Korea) beat Jasper Larsen/Ann Jorgensen (Denmark) 15-4, 11-15, 15-10
3-Bambang Suprianto/Rosalina Riseu (Indonesia) beat Yoo Yung Sung/Gil Young Ah (Korea) 15-11, 8-15, 15-2

(mcoe/dsimmons)