HONG KONG OPEN: DANES PICKED TO WIN THREE

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November 24, 1998 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Peter Gade, Camilla Martin and the pair of Rikke Olsen and Marlene Thomsen, all from Denmark, are the top picks in the five-star Hon Ta Shan Hong Kong Open badminton championships that is being played this week.

Gade, the world number one in men's singles, leads the entries in his event. Martin is the top seed in the women's singles, while Olsen and Thomsen are picked to win the women's doubles event.

Indonesians Limpele Flandy and Hian Eng are the number one seeds in the men's doubles, while Bambang Suprianto and Rosiana Zelin, also from Indonesia, are the top picks in mixed doubles.

Gade's major competition is expected to come from second seed Yong Hock Kin of Malaysia, third-seeded teammate Poul-Erik Hoyer, and fourth seed Chen Gang of China. Other seeded entries are (listed in descending order from fifth seed to sixteenth seed): M. Roslin Hashim from Malaysia, Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark, Jeroen Van Dijk of Netherland, Rashid Sidek and Wong Choon Hann of Malaysia, Indra Wijaya of Indonesia, Henrik Bengtsson of Sweden, Oliver Pongratz of Germany, Budi Santoso of Indonesia, Dicky Palyama of Netherland, Rosobin Jeffer of Indonesia, and Fung Permadi (Chen Feng) of Taiwan.

Also entered are current world champion Peter Rasmussen of Denmark and 1992 Olympic silver medalist Ardy Wiranata, the Indonesian ace who now competes for the American badminton association. Rasmussen who is returning to competition after a five-month long injury layoff, faces Wiranata in the opening round.

In the men's doubles event, world champion Chandra Wijaya of Indonesia is seeded second with sometimes partner Tony Gunawan. Malaysia's Cheah Soon Kit and Choong Tan Fook are the third seeds but they have been withdrawn from the tournament due to an eye injury to Choong.

None of the top Chinese or Korean players are entered in the Hong Kong Open. Their national associations decided that it was better to keep them in training camp for the Asian Games scheduled for early December.

The other seeds:
Women's Singles
2-Zhang Ning (China), 3-Mette Pedersen (Denmark), 4-Kelly Morgan (Wales), 5-Mette Sorensen (Denmark), 6-Zhou Mi (China), 7-Karolina Ericcson (Sweden), 8-Brenda Beenhakker (Netherland)
Men's Doubles
4-Simon Archer/Chris Hunt (England), 5-Peter Axelsson/Par-Gunnar Jonsson (Sweden), 6-Yang Ming/Chen Qiqiu (China), 7-Jens Eriksen/Jesper Larsen (Denmark), 8-Horng Shin-Jeng/Lee Wei-Jen (Taiwan)
Women's Doubles
2-Chen Lin/Jiang Xuelian (China), 3-Ann Jorgensen/Majken Vange (Denmark), 4-Joanne Goode/Donna Kellogg (England), 5-Nicole Van Hooren/Lotte Jonathans (Netherland), 6-Helene Kirkegaard/Pernille Harder (Denmark), 7-Joanne Davies/ Sarah Hardaker, 8-Chen Li-Chin/Tsai Hui-Min (Taiwan)
Mixed Doubles
2-Michael Sogaard/Rikke Olsen (Denmark), 3-Michael Keck/Nicole Pitro (Germany), 4-Jon Holst-Christensen/Ann Jorgensen (Denmark), 5-Jens Eriksen/ Marlene Thomsen (Denmark), 6-Simon Archer/Joanne Goode (England), 7-Quinten Van Dalm/Nicole Van Hooren (Netherland), 8-Sandiarto/Etty Tantri (Indonesia)

(ibf/ds)

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