GRAND PRIX FINALS: LIU AND GE TAKE MIXED TITLE

** 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 **

December 14, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - World champions Liu Yong and Ge Fei of China defeated Indonesia's Trikus Heryanto and Minarti Timur in the mixed doubles championship match of the Lipton World Grand Prix Finals badminton tournament early this evening in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Chinese pair and Liu in particular played well in the opening game and won it 15-9. In the second, the Chinese raced to a 13-2 advantage behind Liu's combinations of smashes and drops from the rearcourt and Ge's net play. With the crowd screaming their support, the Indonesians buckled down and staged a near-heroic comeback as the Chinese began to rush their play.

Heryanto and Timur closed in at 9-13 but Liu and Ge managed to score the vital fourteenth point. The Indonesians turned the Chinese pair back several times at match point and then scored several times to pull even closer at 13-14.

Heryanto and Timur were on the verge of taking the game to deuce and gained the attack on their serve. Heryanto leaped up and unloaded a devastating smash to the lines. The shuttle got past the Chinese defense and it seemed that Heryanto had scored a winner, but, to the Indonesians' dismay, the line judge called the shot out.

After several moments of fruitless protestation from Heryanto (unlike tennis, line judge's decisions in badminton are final and cannot be overruled by the umpire- Editor), the Chinese served for the championship again. This time, they were not to be denied as they managed to maneuver Timur into the rear court and pressured her into an errant dropshot into the net for the winning point at 15-13.

With their victory today - worth US$15,200 in prize money - and their world championsip and All-England titles won earlier this year, Liu and Ge have indeed confirmed their standing as the top mixed doubles players of 1997.

(jfontanilla/mcoe/dsimmons)