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UBER CUP FINALS: FAVOURITES POST FOUR SHUTOUTS

May 15, 1998 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - The four top-seeded sides in the Uber Cup Finals (the world women's team championships of badminton) today all scored crushing 5-0 victories as competition began at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong.

In the noon session, defending champion Indonesia whitewashed England and Korea whipped the Netherlands to take the early lead in Group B standings. The Indonesian women shook off worries about the rioting back home in Jakarta and posted lopsided wins in the singles matches. Only the top-tier English doubles combination of Donna Kellogg and Joanne Goode gave the Indons trouble, taking Rosiana Zelin and Eliza to a third-game five-point setting before losing at 10-15, 15-9 and 17-18.

Korea had a minor scare in the opening singles match between Kim Ji Hyun and young Dutch player Judith Meulendijks with the up-and-coming Netherlander twice extending Kim to tiebreaks.

In the evening session, tournament favourite and Group A top-seed China wallopped the team from host Hong Kong, while second-seed Denmark overcame a poor start by Camilla Martin and blanked Japan.

China did not even bother to field their singles and doubles world champions, Ye Zhaoying and the Ge Fei-Gu Jun tandem, against the Hong Kong side. World championships silver medalist Gong Zhichao led the Chinese this evening with an opening 11-1 and 11-2 victory over Koon Wai Chee. Dai Yun followed with an 11-6 and 11-4 win over Ling Wan Ting. Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongshu then scored the clincher, beating Koon Wai Chee and Tung Chau Man 15-8 and 15-10.

Denmark's Camilla Martin showed that she was still suffering from a shoulder injury. She was taken to a setting by Japan's Kanako Yonekura in the first set before she strung two winners together. Martin's game was still off in the second and Yonekura again managed to push her into setting. This time, it was the Japanese player who came out on top at 12-11. Martin settled down in the decider and beat Yonekura 11-7.

The Danish ladies had no problems the rest of the way.

Today's scorelines:
Noon Session
Group B
Indonesia 5 England 0 (Indonesian names first) - Susi Susanti beat Julia Mann 11-0, 11-1; Eliza/Rosiana Zelin beat beat Donna Kellogg/Joanne Goode 15-10, 9-15, 18-17; Meiluawati beat Rebecca Pantaney 11-2, 11-0; Denyana Lomban/ Indarti Isoliana beat beat Joanne Davies/Sarah Hardaker 15-8, 15-4; Cindana beat beat Tracy Hallam 11-1, 11-0
Korea 5 Netherlands 0 (Korean names first) - Kim Ji Hyun beat Judith Meulendijks 12-0, 12-10; Ra Kyung Min/Jang Hye Ock beat Erica van den Heuvel/ Monique Hoogland 15-8, 15-4; Lee Joo Hyun beat Brenda Beenhakker 11-3, 11-5; Kim Shin Young/Kim Mee Hyang beat Nicole van Hooren/Lotte Jonathans 10-15, 15-1, 15-9; Lee Kyung Won beat Carolien Glebbeeek 11-5, 11-5
Evening Session
Group A
China 5 Hong Kong 0 (Chinese names first) - Gong Zhichao beat Koon Wai Chee 11-1, 11-2; Dai Yun beat Ling Wan Ting 11-6, 11-4; Qin Yiyuan/Tang Yongshu beat Koon Wai Chee/Tung Chau Man 15-8, 15-10; Han Jingna beat Ng Ching 11-3, 11-1; Qiang Hong/Liu Lu beat Ling Wan Ting/Chan Mei Mei 15-6, 15-0
Denmark 5 Japan 0 (Danish names first) - Camilla Martin beat Kanako Yonekura 12-10, 11-12, 11-7; Rikke Olsen/Marlene Thomsen beat Yoshiko Iwata/Haruko Matsuda 15-6, 15-9; Mette Pedersen beat Yasuko Mizui 11-4, 11-6; Ann Jorgensen/Camilla Martin beat Chihiro Ohsaka/Kanako Yonekura 15-3, 15-8; Mette Sorensen beat Hiroko Nagamine 11-4, 11-1

(mcoe/dsimmons)