KOREA IN A SQUEAKER OVER DENMARK
(Corrected text of previous report)

May 16, 1996 (D.Shuttlenws) - The Korean women's badminton team scraped
past a determined Danish side in their opening tie at the Uber Cup
finals (the world women's team championships) which started today in
Hong Kong.

The Koreans and the Danes split the first four matches of their tie, the
featured mathcup on the opening day of the championships.

In a battle of singles aces, the Korean Bang Soo Hyun defeated the
European champion Camilla Martin 11-7 11-8 to give Korea a 1-0 lead.

Marlene Thomsen and Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen then scored a mild upset over
the world doubles champions Jang Hye Ock and Gil Young Ah 15-10 17-14 to
equalize matters.

Ann Sondergaard followed with another upset as she defeated Kim Ji Hyun
11-4 1-11 11-8 to give the Danes the lead at 2-1.

The fourth match of the tie between the Danish pair Helene Kirkegaard
and Rikke Olsen and the Korean duo of Kim Mee Hyang and Kim Shin Young
was very tightly contested.

The Danes, playing to win the tie and potentially an easier semifinal
matchup against the runnerup of the other Uber Cup group, played hard to
win the first game 15-12 against the equally determined Koreans.

The Danes had the Koreans on the ropes in the second game but the Korean
ladies managed to edge the Danes in the setting (or tiebreaker) and took
the second game 17-15.

In the third, the Danes appeared exhausted both physically and
emotionally and succumbed to the Koreans 3-15.

The Korean win set the stage for a do-or-die singles decider between Ra
Kyung Min of Korea and a Danish substitute, Mette Pedersen.

Pedersen was fielded in place of an injured Lotte Thomsen.

Pedersen played Ra on almost equal terms in the first game but ran out
of steam as Ra took the match 11-7 11-0, giving the Koreans a 3-2
victory in their tie.

In the other tie of the evening schedule, host Hong Kong almost
embarassed an English side that has been weakened by the absence of
their top women's doubles team of Julie Bradbury and Joanne G. Wright.

Ng Ching gave Hong Kong a good start with a comeback win over Jo
Muggeridge. Ng lost a very tight first game to Muggeridge 9-11 and then
came back to win the next two over the tiring English player 11-7
11-4.

Chan Oi Ni and Chan Mei Mei then surprised the English pair of Joanne
Davies and Emma Chaffin, beating them 15-10 17-16 to hand Hong Kong a
2-0 lead in the tie.

In the third match, Julia Mann managed to get England on the scoreboard
with an 11-8-11-4 victory over Koon Wai Chee.

In the fourth match, a doubles affair, Hong Kong had an upset victory in
its grasp as Ng Ching and Tung Chau Man blew past Gillian Gowers and Jo
Muggeridge in the first game 15-3 and then had 5 match points against
the English ladies in the second.

Gowers and Muggeridge managed to hold off Ng and Chung's match points
and came back to take the second game 17-14.

The second game loss deflated the Hong Kong players and the English had
an easy time in the third, winning it at 15-4 to square the tie at 2
matches apiece.

In the decider, Hong Kong still had a chance as Chan Mei Mei played on
even terms with Allison Humby in a very close first game. Chan took
Humby to setting at 9-all before Humby managed to string 3 points and
took the game at 12-9.

Humby then closed out the Hong Kong lady with an 11-4 second game,
making the tie score 3-2 in favor of the English.

COPYRIGHT 1996 by D.Shuttlenws@genie.com.

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