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Danish Open: World Champion Squeezes Into Semifinals

** 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 15, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Women's singles world champion Camilla Martin of Denmark this evening fought off two third-set match points held by Tang Chunyu of China and then squeezed past the Chinese player in a tiebreak to move into the semifinals of the Danish Open badminton championships in Vejle with a 5-11, 11-8 and 13-11 victory.

Top seed Dai Yun of China also moved into the semifinals with her 13-10 and 11-5 quarterfinal victory over Yasuko Mizui of Japan. Dai and Martin will tangle in tomorrow's key contest in a rematch of this May's world championship finalists.

In the oher women's singles quarterfinals, second-seed Gong Ruina of China beat Mette Sorensen of Denmark 11-6 and 11-9, and fourth seed Zhou Mi of China defeated 1998 Asian Games champion Kanako Yonekura of Japan 11-5 and 11-6.

In the Martin-Tang match, Tang covered the court very quickly early in the opening set and frustrated the world champion with her retrieving. Martin tried to force the pace but her aggressive play backfired and resulted in mistakes, poorly played shots and a 5-11 first set loss.

Martin changed tactics in the second set and began to play a more patient game. She struck more lobs and dropshots and she moved Tang up and down her end of the court. The tactical change paid off in an 11-8 win for the world champion, as Tang, who had played a three-set women's doubles match earlier in the day, tired and began to make more mistakes.

The decider was very closely contested, but it was the Chinese player who got a nose ahead late in the set and reached match point at 10-8. Martin fought that one off and then scored on her service to close the gap. Tang regained the serve and once again had match point at 10-9. Martin fought that one off as well. She then scored to force a three-point tiebreak at 10-10. She went on to outsteady Tang and won at 13-11.

In the men's singles round-of-eight, top seed Sun Jun hurdled past Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark 15-9 and 15-9, while second pick Peter Gade of Denmark seemed to missing his usual explosive movement but had enough in his game to get past Marleve Mainaky of Indonesia 17-14 and 15-8.

34-year old Poul-Erik Hoyer of Denmark continued to display his return to the form and quickness that won him an Olympic Games gold medal in 1996. Hoyer beat Taufik Hidayat, the third-seeded Indonesian teenage prodigy, 15-9 and 15-11.

Wong Choon Hann of Malaysia took the other men's singles quarterfinal match. He defeated 1995 world champion Heryanto Arbi of Indonesia 15-7 and 15-9 to set up a semifinal encounter with Gade. Sun and Hoyer will clash in the other men's singles semifinal.

In the men's doubles competition, the Danish pairing of Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Lars Paaske scored a sensational upset of the top-seeded Indonesian team of Eng Hian and Flandy Limpele in this evening's quarterfinals. Hansen and Paaske took the match in a third-set tiebreak 17-15 after the two pairs had split the first 2 games, the Indonesians taking the first set 15-5 and the Danes the second 15-7.

Following are the results of today's (number before player's name indicates seeding; letter q before player's name indicates that the player or pair is a qualifier).

Mixed Doubles
Semifinals
1-Ms. Ge Fei and Liu Yong (China) beat 3-Simon Archer and Ms. Joanne Goode (England) 15-4, 13-15, 15-8
7-Ms. Gao Ling and Zhang Jun (China) beat 6-Jens Eriksen and Ms. Mette Schjoldager (Denmark) 15-7, 10-15, 15-11

Men's Singles
Quarterfinals
1-Sun Jun (China) beat 10-Kenneth Jonassen (Denmark) 15-9, 15-9
5-Poul-Erik Hoyer (Denmark) 3-Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) 15-9, 15-11
8-Wong Choon Hann (Malaysia) beat 4-Heryanto Arbi (Indonesia) 15-7, 15-9
2-Peter Gade (Denmark) beat 7-Marleve Mainaky (Indonesia) 17-14, 15-8

Women's Singles
Quarterfinals
1-Dai Yun (China) beat 7-Yasuko Mizui (Japan) 13-10, 11-5
3-Camilla Martin (Denmark) beat Tang Chunyu (China) 5-11, 11-8, 13-11
4-Zhou Mi (China) beat Kanako Yonekura (Japan) 11-5, 11-6
2-Gong Ruina (China) beat 8-Mette Sorensen (Denmark) 11-6, 11-9

Men's Doubles
Second Round
1-Eng Hian and Flandy Limpele (Indonesia) Keita Masuda and Tadashi Ohtsuka (Japan) 15-3, 15-5
Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Lars Paaske (Denmark) beat 7-Peter Axelsson and Par-Gunnar Jonsson (Sweden) 13-15, 15-10, 15-7
3-Jens Eriksen and Jesper Larsen (Denmark) beat Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock (Malaysia) 15-9, 15-11
5-Simon Archer and Nathan Robertson (England) beat Jesper Mikla and Janek Roos (Denmark) 15-8, 15-9
Ade Lukas and Santoso Sugiharjo (Indonesia) beat 6-Zhang Jun and Zhang Wei (China) 15-12, 15-17, 15-11
4-Jim Laugesen and Michael Sogaard (Denmark) beat Quinten Van Dalm and Dennis Lens (Netherland) 15-10, 15-17, 15-13
8-Chris Hunt and Julian Robertson (England) beat Michael Lamp and Jonas Rasmussen (Denmark) 15-10, 15-2
2-Antonius Budi Iriantho and Denny Kantono (Indonesia) beat Harald Koch and Jurgen Koch (Austria) 15-4, 15-8

Quarterfinals
Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Lars Paaske (Denmark) beat 1-Eng Hian and Flandy Limpele (Indonesia) 5-15, 15-7, 17-15
3-Jens Eriksen and Jesper Larsen (Denmark) beat 5-Simon Archer and Nathan Robertson (England) 15-8, 15-12
4-Jim Laugesen and Michael Sogaard (Denmark) beat Ade Lukas and Santoso Sugiharjo (Indonesia) 15-10, 7-15, 15-10
2-Antonius Budi Iriantho and Denny Kantono (Indonesia) beat 8-Chris Hunt and Julian Robertson (England) 15-6, 15-10

Women's Doubles
Second Round
1-Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen (Denmark) beat Agnese Allegrini and Maria Luisa Mur (Italy) 15-5, 15-1
7-Yoshiko Iwata and Haruko Matsuda (Japan) beat Julie Boe and Julie Houmann (Denmark) 15-5, 15-9
Chen Lin and Jiang Xuelian (China) beat Nicole Van Hooren and Lotte Jonathans (Netherland) 15-8, 15-4
8-Ann Lou Jorgensen and Mette Schjoldager (Denmark) beat Katarzyna Krazowska and Joanna Szleszynka (Poland) 15-11, 15-11
6-Deyana Lomban and Eliza Nathanael (Indonesia) beat Jeanette Lund and Anne Marie Pedersen (Denmark) 15-10, 15-8
Tang Chunyu and Zhou Mi (China) beat Naomi Murakami and Hiromi Yamada (Japan) 15-13, 8-15, 15-4
5-Joanne Goode and Donna Kellogg (England) beat Britta Andersen and Lene Mork (Denmark) 17-14, 15-10
2-Gao Ling and Qin Yiyuan (China) beat Angelina De Pauw and Enny Widowati (Indonesia) 15-1, 15-5

Quarterfinals
1-Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen (Denmark) beat 7-Yoshiko Iwata and Haruko Matsuda (Japan) 15-6, 15-8
Chen Lin and Jiang Xuelian (China) beat 8-Ann Lou Jorgensen and Mette Schjoldager (Denmark) 15-8, 15-4
6-Deyana Lomban and Eliza Nathanael (Indonesia) beat Tang Chunyu and Zhou Mi (China) 10-15, 15-11, 15-3
2-Gao Ling and Qin Yiyuan (China) beat 5-Joanne Goode and Donna Kellogg (England) 15-3, 15-4

(yyn/mg)