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Thailand Open: Chinese Capture All Five Titles

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Ontario (Canada) agents - SHAH Enterprises **

July 11, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Chinese players captured all of the five event titles at stake at the just-concluded Thailand Open badminton championships in Bangkok. In finals action today, Chen Gang, the Asian men's singles titleholder, took the title in his specialty, Dai Yun won the women's singles crown, Chen Qiqiu and Yu Jinhao the men's doubles, and the duo of Qin Yiyuan and Gao Ling the women's doubles.

Liu Yong and Ge Fei had taken the mixed doubles title yesterday when they defeated Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark in the championship match 15-12 and 15-6.

In the men's singles final, Chen Gang stopped the giantkilling run of teammate Ji Xinpeng in a battle of young, aggresive and fast-attacking players. Chen took control of the match early, taking a big lead in the first set but Ji fought back to pull close at 5-7. Chen pulled away again, and Ji once more staged a fightback to reduce Chen's advantage to a single point at 10-11.

Chen though was able to stop Ji's string and captured the first game 15-12. The Asian champion continued to control the play in the second set and was an easy winner at 15-6.

The unseeded Ji had defeated five seeds before he was defeated by Chen Gang today. Ji's victims at the Thailand Open included world champion Sun Jun of China, fourth seed Rashid Sidek of Malaysia, eight seed Roslin Hashim also of Malaysia, eleventh seed Peter Janum of Denmark and thirteenth seed Ahn Jae Chang of Korea.

In the women's singles championship match between the lefthanded Dai Yun and teammate Gong Ruina, Dai rattled off 4 points early in the first set to lead at 4-0. Gong then seized the initiative and rallied to take the lead at 5-4.

Gong though could not cope for long with Dai's smashes and sliced dropshots. Dai quickly regained the lead and took the first game 11-6.

Dai's smashes and drops continued to be very effective in the second stanza and she easily took the set 11-5 and, with it, the Thailand Open title.

In the men's doubles final, Chen Qiqiu and Yu Jinhao outplayed Michael Sogaard and Jim Laugesen of Denmark 15-11 and 15-13, while in the women's doubles title match, Qin Yiyuan and Gao Ling trounced Emma Ermawati and Vita Marisa of Indonesia 15-8 and 15-2.

(yyn/ds)