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TAIPEI OPEN: PERMADI, ZHOU, HUANG AND YANG KEEP ON TICKING

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Western USA agents BADMINTON ALLEY. **

January 23, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Last weekend's newly-crowned Korean Open badminton singles champions, Fung Permadi of Taiwan and Zhou Mi of China, kept on ticking and kept on clicking today at the semifinals of the four-star Taipei Open tournament. Permadi defeated second-seed Sun Jun of China in the men's singles final four 15-12, 7-15 and 15-13, while Zhou Mi bested teammate Zhang Ning 5-11, 11-5 and 11-3 in women's singles action.

Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei, the Korean Open women's doubles titleists, also kept their winning streak going and are poised to win their second major title in a row. Huang and Yang, top seeds at the tournament, beat Ann Jorgensen and Majken Vange of Denmark in their semifinal encounter 15-6 and 15-3.

Rashid Sidek of Malaysia came off the floor in the other men's singles semifinal and battled back from an 8-15 first game setback and two matchpoints in the second to defeat fourth seed Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark. The Dane had Sidek on the proverbial ropes with a 14-10 lead in the second canto. However, Sidek was able to stop him at this juncture and sent the game into a tiebreak at 14-all.

Jonassen again had a matchpoint at 16-14 but made several errors to allow the veteran Malaysian to escape defeat and win at 17-16. In the decider, the Dane seemed to have lost his confidence and a big part of his game. Sidek easily took the third and a berth in tomorrow's final with a 15-6 score.

In the other women's singles semifinal, second seed Dai Yun of China defeated Mette Sorensen of Denmark 11-3 and 11-7 and set up another of the increasingly frequent all-Chinese women's singles finals.

The Chinese were not as dominant in the women's doubles today. Denmark's Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen upset second seeds Qin Yiyuan and Gao Ling 15-13 and 15-9 to prevent a all-China final in women's doubles. Kirkegaard and Olsen were a world-beating pair two years ago before Olsen got teamed up with Marlene Thomsen with whom she is currently ranked world number one.

In men's doubles action, second seeds Cheah Soon Kit and Choong Tan Fook of Malaysia beat world champion Chandra Wijaya and partner Tony Gunawan, both from Indonesia, for the second straight week. Cheah and Choong smashed and drove their way from behind to win the first set from Wijaya and Gunawan 17-16. The Indonesians were ahead going into the later part of the set and had several game points. They failed to score on all of them.

In the second, the demoralized Indonesians were overwhelmed by Cheah and Choong 15-6.

Denny Kantono and Antonius Budi Ariantho of Indonesia took the other men's doubles semifinal. They beat Siripong Siripol and Pramote Teerawiwatana of Thailand 15-10 and 15-4.

Mixed doubles top-seeds Bambang Suprianto and Rosiana Zelin of Indonesia defeated Jon Holst-Christensen and Ann Jorgensen of Denmark 15-8 and 15-7 to set up a title match with reigning world champions Liu Yong and Ge Fei of China. Liu and Ge, unseeded at the tournament, beat the third-seeded pair of Wahyu Agung and Ema Ermawati of Indonesia 15-10 and 15-5.

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