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German Open: Four Dutch Open Champions Stay Hot

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Western Canada agents - MAAKL Corporation, Saint Albert, Alberta (Tel 780-458-2026/ Fax 780-459-8891) **

October 10, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - At the German Open badminton championships that ended today in Duisburg, four of the champions from last week's Dutch Open stayed hot and repeated as tournament winners this week. Xia Xuanze of China added the German Open men's singles title to his Dutch Open crown; Tang Chunyu of China duplicated the feat in the women's singles event. Chinese women's doubles players Chen Lin and Jiang Xuelian did the same in their speciality, as did Malaysian men's doubles aces Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah.

Dutch Open mixed doubles winners (Ms.) Chen Lin and Chen Qiqiu were unable to join their co-titleists from last week on top of the victory stand. They were tumbled in the quarterfinals on Friday morning by the eventual German Open champions Jane Bramsen and Lars Paaske of Denmark.

MEN'S SINGLES FINAL

Men's Singles Final

(Xia in red shirt; Gopichand in white)

In the men's singles final today, Xia beat Pullela Gopichand of India. Xia took the first set handily 15-3, but Gopichand who, as a player for FC Langerfeld in the German Bundesliga, had a sort of homecourt advantage battled back in the second to squeeze out a equalizing 15-13 victory and force a decider.

After the five-minute interval, Xia came back on court with the right counterplay to Gopichand and he trounced the Indian player 15-4 to claim the German Open title.

WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL

Women's Singles Final

(Tang in foreground; Andrievskaia in background)

In the women's singles final, Tang dropped the opening set to a determined Marina Andrievskaia, the Russian-turned-Swede, 7-11. In the second set, Tang overcame the Swede and limited her to just 6 points. Andrievskaia had not much left in her game after that and the Chinese player swamped her in the decider 11-2.

MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL

Men's Singles Final

(from front to back: Axelsson and Jonsson in black shirts; Choong and Lee in white)

In the men's doubles title contest, Choong and Lee, seeded at number two, beat the top picks Peter Axelsson and Par-Gunnar Jonsson of Sweden 15-9 and 15-6, while in the women's doubles final, Chen Lin and Jiang Xuelian upset their top seeded teammates Qin Yiyuan and Gao Ling in two close sets 15-13 and 15-13.

In the mixed doubles championship match, Bramsen and Paaske defeated their fellow Danes Janek Roos and Marlene Thomsen 15-10 and 15-11.

(yyn/mg)