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China Open: Bad Back Forces World Champ Out

** 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 18, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - World men's singles champion Sun Jun of China pulled out of his country's Open badminton championships in Beijing before the start of competition on Tuesday because of a back injury. Sun had injured his back during the Chinese national championships late last month. He had tried to play in the Asia Cup men's team competition last week but had to retire from a playoff match against Korea on Sunday because of the extreme pain.

Sun will undergo physiotherapy as well as traditional Chinese medicine treatment for his back and wil also start training for the World Grand Prix Finals that take place December 1 to 5 in Brunei.

In another development, former world men's doubles champion Sigit Budiarto of Indonesia is playing in his first tournament at the China Open after a one-year suspension for a sport-doping violation. Sigit though is no longer teamed up with Chandra Wijaya, his partner as a world champion in 1997. He is paired up with Halim Heryanto.

Sigit and Halim reached the quarterfinals of the China Open when they beat Jim Laugesen and Michael Sogaard of Denmark 15-9 and 15-7 yesterday. They have a tougher test today when they face 1999 world championships silver medalists Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yung Sung of Korea.

Following are the results of some of yesterday's matches:

Men's Singles
Third round
Xiao Hui (China) beat Kenneth Jonassen (Denmark) 9-15, 15-2, 15-6
Luo Yigang (China) beat Wong Choong Hann (Malaysia) 15-9, 15-13
Chen Gang (China) beat Yong Hock Kin (Malaysia) 15-4, 15-8
Fung Permadi, Chinese Taipei, beat Roslin Hashim (Malaysia) 15-6, 9-15, 15-1
Peter Rasmussen (Denmark) beat Lin Dan (China) 6-15, 15-8, 15-4
Dong Jiong (China) beat Luo Xilin (China) 15-4, 15-3
Xia Xuanze (China) beat Budi Santoso (Indonesia) 15-12, 15-12
Ji Xinpeng (China) beat Rashid Sidek (Malaysia) 13-15, 15-4, 15-6

Men's Doubles
Second Round
Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon (Korea) beat Tao Xiaoqiang and Ge Cheng (China) 15-6, 15-12
Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Lars Paaske (Denmark) beat Xiao Li and Wu Yunyong (China) 15-2, 15-6
Denny Kantono and Antonius Budi Iriantho (Indonesia) beat Jiang Shan and Yan Kai (China) 15-4, 11-15, 15-11
Yu Jinhao and Chen Qiqiu (China) beat Yu Jianbo and Zhang Tian (China) 15-6, 15-7
Simon Archer and Nathan Robertson (England) beat Aman Santosa and Lau Kim Pong Patrick (Singapore) 11-15, 15-5, 15-8
Choon Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah (Malaysia) beat Liu Kwok Wa and Susanto Albertus Njoto (Hong Kong, China) 15-8, 15-10
Halim Heryanto and Sigit Budiarto (Indonesia) beat Michael Sogaard and Jim Laugesen (Denmark) 15-9, 15-7
Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yong Sung (Korea) beat Cheng Rui and Wang Wei (China) 15-11, 15-7
Women's Doubles
Second Round
Ge Fei and Gu Jun (China) beat Lim Pek Siah and Joannne Quay (Malaysia) 15-1, 15-4
Zhang Yawen and Chen Xiaoli (China) beat Karen Stechmann and Nicole Grether (Germany) 15-7, 15-4
Chen Lin and Jiang Xuelian (China) beat Eliza Nathanael and Deyana Lomban (Indonesia) 15-6, 15-3
Lu Ying and Huang Sui (China) beat Ann Jorgensen and Majken Vange (Denmark) 15-2, 9-15, 15-12
Gao Qian and Huang Lipei (China) beat Li Yujia and Zhao Tingting (China) 15-12, 6-15, 15-10
Yim Kyung Jin and Lee Hyo Jung (Korea) beat Pernille Harder and Jane Bramsen (Denmark) 15-8, 15-5
Zhang Jiewen and Wei Yili (China) beat Etty Tantri and Cynthia Tuwankotta (Indonesia) 15-9, 15-6
Qin Yiyuan and Gao Ling (China) beat Tang Chunyu and Xie Xingfang (China) 15-1, 15-2

(yyna/ds)