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SWISS OPEN: GADE IS NUMBER ONE

March 22, 1998 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Peter Gade of Denmark today won the battle between the two top-rated badminton men's singles players in the world when he defeated Sun Jun of China in the finals of the Swiss Open championships at the Saint Jakobshalle in Basel, 15-12, 8-15 and 15-11.

At the start of the day, it seemed as if the battle for the unofficial world men's singles championship was not to be. Sun Jun had had a tough three-game match in the semifinals against 1996 Olympic gold medalist Poul-Erik Hoyer of Denmark, and, according to a person close to the Chinese team, had hurt one of his knees slightly. The injury had worsened overnight and he had awakened barely able to move around.

The game Sun though was determined to play and he went for physical therapy and treatment. However, he was not yet ready by the time the men's singles final was scheduled and it looked as if Gade would win the championship by a walkover. After some quick negotiations by the tournament organizers and a gracious accommodation by Gade and the Danish coaches, the men's singles final was rescheduled for later in the day.

The match was worth the wait. Sun came out ready to do battle with Gade and play they did. In the first game, Sun tried to overcome his injury and was competitive against the taller Dane with his court coverage and fleetness of foot for most of the opener. Gade though also showed that he could cover the court as well as Sun and won the first set at 15-12. In the second,the Chinese player was able to overcome Gade and he came out on top at 15-8.

In the decider, the two played with crowd-pleasing brilliance but it was Gade who had the steadier game and who defeated Sun 15-11.

In the women's singles final, Camilla Martin of Denmark upended the world champion Ye Zhaoying of China to take her fifth Swiss Open title. Martin beat the Chinese player 12-9 and 11-8.

In the women's doubles championship match, Ge Fei and Gu Jun of China once again proved themselves to be head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field. The Chinese pair defeated the second-seeds from Denmark, Marlene Thomsen and Rikke Olsen, in a runaway 15-7 and 15-4.

In the men's doubles final, Zhang Wei and Zhang Jun of China beat teammates Liu Yong and Yu Jinhao 18-15 and 15-7 in a fast-paced match laced with quick drives and jumpsmashing rallies that delighted the crowd.

In mixed doubles, Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark upset their top-seeded countrymen Jens Eriksen and Marlene Thomsen in the championship match 15-17, 15-8 and 15-3.

(aplayer/dsimmons)