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Hong Kong Open: Korean Injured; Cheah And Yap Into Final

** 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 26, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock of Malaysia, the badminton men's doubles silver medalists at the 1996 Olympic Games, today received some unexpected help in their belated bid to qualify for the Sydney Olympiad next year when the world number two combination of Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yung Sung from Korea were unable to play their semifinal match at the one-star Hong Kong Open championships. Lee hurt a foot during one of the mixed doubles semifinals played earlier and the Korean coaching staff decided not to risk further injury to Lee, specially since Lee and Yoo are one of the favorites at the World Grand Prix Finals coming up next week.

The walkover puts Cheah and Yap into tomorrow's men's doubles championship match against Indonesia's Sigit Budiarto and Halim Haryanto who are themselves making a late attempt at Olympic qualification.

Budiarto, one of the 1997 men's doubles world championship pair, is coming off a one-year suspension after testing positive for a a prohibited medication and is playing in just his second tournament after his suspension ended. He and partner Halim today beat Malaysians Chang Kim Wai and Hong Chien Hun 15-6 and 15-7 in their half of the men's doubles semifinals.

Following are the results of today's other semifinal contests (number before player's name indicates seeding):

Men's Singles
3-Tam Kai Chuen (Hong Kong SAR) beat Irwansyah (Indonesia) 15-3, 13-15, 15-11
2-Chen Wei (China) beat Agus Hariyanto (Hong Kong SAR) by walkover due to illness

Women's Singles
3-Ling Wan Ting (Hong Kong SAR) beat Hu Ting (China) 11-4, 4-11, 11-2
Xie Xinfang (China) beat Wei Yan (China) 11-4, 11-8

Women's Doubles
1-Chen Lin and Jiang Xuelian (China) beat Lim Pek Siah and Joanne Quay Swee Ling (Malaysia) 15-1, 15-4
2-Huang Sui and Lu Ying (China) beat Lee Hyo Jung and Yim Kyung Jin (Korea) 15-6, 15-10

Mixed Doubles
3-Mr. Chan Chong Ming and Ms. Joanne Quay Swee Ling (Malaysia) beat Mr. Lee Dong Soo and Ms. Lee Hyo Jung (Korea) 15-11, 15-10
Ms. Chen Lin and Mr. Guo Siwei (China) beat Ms. Chan Mei Mei and Mr. Njoto Albertus Susanto (Hong Kong SAR) 15-9, 15-6

(yyna/ds)