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DUTCH OPEN: A SUCCESSFUL START FOR CHEAH AND CHOONG

October 11, 1998 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - A new Malaysian men's doubles combination of the veteran Cheah Soon Kit and new partner Choong Tan Fook had a successful first tournament at the Dutch Open badminton championships that ended today. Cheah and Choong captured the men's doubles title, beating Sweden's Peter Axelsson and Par-Gunnar Jonsson in the championship match 15-11 and 15-9.

Cheah, who won a silver medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta with his now-retired partner Yap Kim Hock, has been teamed up temporarily with Choong Tan Fook. Choong makes up Malaysia's number two men's doubles duo with Lee Wan Wah. Choong and Lee recently beat Cheah and Yap in the gold medal match at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Cheah and Choong's title victory at the Dutch Open is all the more remarkable because the pair had earlier upended the Olympic champions and Dutch Open top seeds Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja of Indonesia in the quarterfinals 15-13 and 15-13.

Malaysia also had another success today at the Dutch Open. M. Roslin Hashim took the men's singles title when he defeated Sweden's Thomas Johansson in the championship match 15-12 and 15-6.

China's Zhou Mi won the women's singles crown, coming back from match point down to defeat teammate Yao Jie 10-13, 13-11 and 11-4.

In the women's doubles event, Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei of China beat Japan's Hiromi Yamada and Maomi Murakami 15-7 and 15-4.

Denmark's Jon Holst-Christensen and Ann Jorgensen took the mixed doubles championship. They defeated China's Chen Qiqui and Yang Wei 15-7 and 15-6 in today's final.

Results of Friday's quarterfinals and Saturday's semifinals:

MEN'S SINGLES
Quarterfinals
Rikard Magnusson (Sweden) d. Jeroen Van Dijk (Netherlands) 15-8, 15-12
M. Roslin Hashim (Malaysia) d. Pullela Gopi Chand (India) 15-9, 15-9
Thomas Johansson (Sweden) d. Wong Choon Hann (Malaysia) 15-12, 15-6
Ji Xinpeng (China) d. Peter Janum (Denmark) 15-10, 15-6

Semifinals
M. Roslin Hashim (Malaysia) d. Rickard Magnusson (Sweden) 15-9, 15-6
Thomas Johansson (Sweden) d. Ji Xinpeng (China) 15-5, 15-2

WOMEN'S SINGLES
Quarterfinals
Yasuko Mizui (Japan) d. Karolina Ericsson (Sweden) 11-7, 8-11, 11-2
Yao Jie (China) d. Judith Meulendijks (Netherlands) 11-7, 11-2
Zhou Mi (China) d. Margit Borg (Sweden) 11-9, 11-9
Han Jingna (China) d. Brenda Beenhakker (Netherlands) 11-7, 7-11, 11-0
{Semifinals
Yao Jie (China) d. Yasuko Mizui (Japan) 13-11, 11-3
Zhou Mi (China) d. Han Jingna (China) 7-11, 11-7, 11-6

MEN"S DOUBLES
Quarterfinals
Cheah Soon Kit/Choong Tan Fook (Malaysia) d. Rexy Mainaky/Ricky Subagja (Indonesia) 15-13, 15-13
Janek Roos/Jonas Rasmussen (Denmark) d. Christian Mohr/Michael Keck (Germany) walkover (Keck unable to play)
Jesper Mikla/Lars Paaske (Denmark) d. Chen Wei/Ji Xinpeng (China) 12-15, 15-6, 15-3
Peter Axelsson/Par-Gunnar Jonsson (Sweden) d. James Anderson/Neil Waterman (England) 15-12, 15-5

Semifinals
Cheah Soon Kit/Choong Tan Fook (Malaysia) d. Janek Roos/Jonas Rasmussen (Denmark) 15-5, 15-4
Peter Axelsson/Par-Gunnar Jonsson (Sweden) d. Jesper Mikla/Lars Paaske (Denmark) 6-15, 15-7, 15-9

WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Quarterfinals
Huang Nanyan/Yang Wei (China) d. Helen Kirkegaard/Pernille Harder (Denmark) 15-9, 15-2
Lotte Jonathans/Nicole Van Hooren (Netherlands) d. Ella Miles/Sarah Sankey (England) 15-12, 15-5
Hiromi Yamada/Maomi Murakami (Japan) d. Elena Nozdran/Victoria Evtoushenko (Ukraine) 15-5, 15-3
Ann-Lou Jorgensen/Tine Rasmussen (Denmark) d. Yao Jie/Zhou Mi (China) 15-12, 15-7

Semifinals
Huang Nanyan/Yang Wei (China) d. Lotte Jonathans/Nicole Van Hooren (Netherlands) 15-8, 15-0
Hiromi Yamada/Maomi Murakami (Japan) d. Ann-Lou Jorgensen/Tine Rasmussen (Denmark) 15-8, 12-15, 15-11

MIXED DOUBLES
Quarterfinals
Jon Holst-Christensen/Ann Jorgensen (Denmark) d. Nathan Robertson/Joanne Davies (England) 15-12, 15-7
Michael Keck/Nicol Pitro (Germany) d. Ruud Kuijten/Manon Albinus (Belgium) 15-6, 15-12
Martin Lundgaard Hansen/Pernille Harder (Denmark) d. Bjoern Siegemund/Karen Stechmann 15-4, 15-9
Chen Qiqui/Yang Wei (China) d. Jonas Rasmussen/Ann-Lou Jorgensen (Denmark) 13-15, 15-12, 15-9

Semifinals
Jon Holst-Christensen/Ann Jorgensen (Denmark) d. Michael Keck/Nicol Pitro (Germany) walkover (Keck unable to play)
Chen Qiqui/Yang Wei (China) d. Martin Lundgaard Hansen/Pernille Harder (Denmark) 15-10, 15-5

(aplayer/dsimmons)