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Asia Cup: Korean Upends World Champion

** 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) **

November 12, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Korea's Ahn Jae Chang today scored the upset of the tournament at the Asia Cup badminton men's team competition at the Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ahn defeated world men's singles champion Sun Jun of China in the opening match of the China-Korea team contest 15-17, 15-1 and 17-15 to help the Korean side to the top of the standings in their group.

Sun Jun, who was pushed to three sets by India's Abhinn Shyam Gupta yesterday, continued to be heavy-legged today in his match against the Korean number one. Sun managed to pull out a 17-15 tiebreak win in the first set, but the effort sapped the Chinese player's reserves and he dropped the second set to the Korean after scoring a meagre single point.

Sun was obviously coasting in the second and was conserving himself for a big push in a deciding third set, after Ahn had taken a good lead. After the five-minute intermission, Sun came back with a stronger effort but Ahn was able to match the world champion's play. Sun faded in the closing rallies and Ahn capitalized on the Chinese player's miscues to win the set in another tiebreak 17-15.

In the men's doubles match that followed, world champions Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon turned back the determined Chinese combination of Yu Jinhao and Zhang Jun and won in three sets 15-13, 10-15 and 15-11 to seal the team victory for Korea.

China's Chen Hong took the meaningless second singles match. He defeated Park Tae Sang 15-9 and 15-12.

The Korean triumph puts them into the easier of the semifinal matchups as the winner of Group A. They will play Group B runner-up Malaysia who were beaten by defending champions Indonesia 3 matches to none in the last of the Group B contests.

China plays Group B winner Indonesia in the other of tomorrow's semifinal contests.

The following are the results of the team contests that took place today (names of winning team's players first):

Group A

India beat Vietnam 3-0 (Abhinn Shyam Gupta beat Ho Van Loi 15-9, 15-7; Ajit Wijetilek beat Nguyen Phu Cuong 14-15, 15-5, 15-8; Jaseel Ismail and Markose beat Ho Van Loi and Nguyen Anh Hoang 15-11, 15-12)

Korea beat China 2-1 (Ahn Jae Chang beat Sun Jun 15-17, 15-1, 17-15; Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon beat Yu Jinhao and Zhang Jun 15-13, 10-15, 15-11; Park Tae Sang lost to Chen Hong 9-15, 12-15)

Group B

Thailand beat Taiwan 2-1 (Boonsak Polsana lost to Liu En-Horng 13-15, 5-15; Pramote Teerawiwatana and Tesana Panvisavas neat Huang Shin-chung and Chien Yu-hsiun 15-4, 15-12; Anupap Thiraratsakul beat Chang Jeng-shyong 15-7, 15-7)

Indonesia beat Malaysia 3-0 (Taufik Hidayat beat Jason Wong 15-12, 13-15, 15-8; Tony Gunawan and Chandra Wijaya beat Chew Choon Eng and Rosman Razak 15-5, 15-8; Hendrawan beat Ismail Saman 15-9, 15-13)

(yyna/ds)