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Swedish Open: Grand Prix Champs Score A Double Double

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

March 7, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - World Grand Prix Finals mixed doubles champions Kim Dong Moon and Ra Kyung Min of Korea both scored a double double at the Swedish Open badminton championships that ended today. Kim and Ra each came away from the tournament held at the Arena Kupolen in Borlange with two titles - the mixed doubles plus a men's doubles crown for Kim and a women's doubles championship for Ra.

Kim and Ra, who are considered by their fellow players as the best mixed doubles pair playing these days, followed up on their World Grand Prix Finals win last Sunday with a title win at the Swedish Open when they easily defeated fellow Koreans Ha Tae Kwon and Chung Jae Hee 15-1 and 15-4 in this afternoon's final.

Kim teamed up with Ha to win his other title of the day, the men's doubles. In today's championship match, the duo beat their teammates Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yung Sung in a minor upset 15-11 and 15-5. Lee and Yoo are the Korean number ones in the event and are the current holders of the super-prestigious All England men's doubles crown.

Ra won the women's doubles title with Chung Jae Hee. Ra and Chung defeated Lu Ying and Huang Sui, two second-string members of the Chinese national team, in the final 15-6 and 15-11.

Chinese players took home the other two titles. Current world junior women's singles champion Gong Ruina today turned back Korea's Kim Ji Hyun 11-8 and 11-5 to become the 1999 Swedish Open women's singles titleholder, while Chen Hong beat Rasmus Wengberg of Sweden 17-15 and 15-0 in the men's singles final, a matchup of two unheralded and unexpected finalists.

The Swedish men's singles title is Chen Hong's first major international crown.

(ap/ds)

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