1995 ALL-ENGLAND JOURNAL from d.shuttlenws@genie.geis.com ******************************************* SEEDED PLAYERS OUT OF ALL-ENGLAND March 13 - Top men's singles seeds Allan Budi Kusuma of Indonesia and Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen of Denmark have withdrawn from the 1995 All-England Badminton tournament, the sport's most important annual competition. Kusuma, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, is suffering from a knee injury while Stuer-Lauridsen has an injured back. South Korean second seed Bang Soo-hyun is also out of the women's singles. Bang, the 1992 and 1993 runner-up, sustained an ankle injury during last week's Swedish Open. Other top players who will be missing the tournament due to injury are Chinese ladies' doubles seeds Ge Fei and Gu Jun and the Chinese men's doubles pairing of Chen Kang and Chen Hongyo. Stars who are injured but who are still in the tournament include world men's singles champion Joko Suprianto from Indonesia (back problems), world men's singles number one Ardy Wiranata from Indo- nesia (pulled leg muscle) and Chinese ladies' singles player Ye Zhao Ying (thigh injury). ARBI BEGINS DEFENSE OF ALL-ENGLAND TITLE March 15 - Men's singles titleholder Heryanto Arbi of Indonesia sailed through his first match 15-3 15-7 against a former champion as he began the defence of his All-England badminton crown on Wednesday. Arbi was matched against 1988 champion Ib Frederiksen of Denmark as he began his bid to become the first player to win three singles titles in succession since Rudy Hartono, also of Indonesia more than 20 years ago. Hartono won seven straight championships from 1968 to 1974 and then added an eighth two years later. "I have prepared hard to win my third (championship). It is very important for me to do it," Arbi said. Arbi's greater speed was the decisive factor against the 32- year-old Frederiksen, out of the game for three years before starting a comeback last year and taking the last qualifying spot in this year's draw. "I need to get used to the speed again," the Dane said. "I was a little faster in 1988 than I am now, but he is faster than anyone I played then." Frederiksen led 3-1 in the opening game then did not win another point. The Dane kept pace early in the second and led 5-4 then Arbi took over again. "He had good strokes. But maybe he was a little slow," Arbi commented. Men's singles world champion Joko Suprianto met stiff resistance from Danish lefthander Peter Espersen before pulling out a 17-14 15-7 victory after trailing 7-1 and 10-3 in the first game. Suprianto, beaten finalist in 1993 but winner of the world title that year, began slowly against the tactical Espersen. But from 10-3 down, Suprianto clawed his way back to 14-12, and when Espersen failed on his only set point, Suprianto pounced to sweep five in a row for the second set. The second was mercifully quick. "He is very fast, but I had trouble with my services. Then he started serving deep and became too strong for me," Espersen said. In a minor upset, Anders Nielsen, te 1995 English champion defeated the 5/8 seed, Dong Jiong of China 15-10, 15-8. One of the 9/16 seeds in men's singles, South Korean Kim Hak-kyun, was upset by Henrik Sorensen of Denmark, 15-11 17-15. Other prominent scorelines in the first round of men's singles are: Malaysian Rashid Sidek (seeded 9/16) defeated Peter Bush of England 15-7, 15-6 Denmark's Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (seeded 5/8) beat China'a Chen Gang 15-9 18-14 Hermawan Susanto of Indonesia (seeded 5/8) ousted Robert Nock of England 15-9 15-6 Indonesian Fung Permadi, in the tournament as a Chinese-Taipei entry, bested Sweden's Rikard Magnusson 15-11 18-17 Chinese Hu Zhilan (seeded 9/16) bested Danish qualifier Jens Meibom in a three-game match. The Chinese player was surprised by Meibom in the first and lost 10-15. Hu the bore down in the second and allowed the Dane only 2 points in the second and 8 in the third Second seed Ardy Wiranata of Indonesia had a very easy first game against Malaysian Ong Ewe Hock, winning at love. Ong fought with desperation in the second and forced a three-point setting at 14-all. Wiranata then closed out the match with the last three points to win 17-14 In ladies' singles, the seeded players led by Indonesia's Susi Susanti had first round byes together with the top English entries. Prominent scorelines are: China's Yao Yan bested Sweden's Astrid Crabo 11-7 11-6 Russian veteran Elena Rybkina, once ranked in the world top eight, defeated Anne Sondergaard of Denmark 1-11, 11-8, 11-7 Indonesian Yuliani Santosa defeated Anne Gibson of Scotland 11-2, 11-2 Swede Christine Magnusson beat Michelle Rasmussen of Denmark 11-5, 11-4 Japan's Takako Ida ousted Frenchwoman Sandra Dimbour 11-2, 11-2 Singaporean Zarinah Abdullah beat Japan's Yukiko Kataito 11-2, 11-6 Chinese junior player Wang Chen beat Saori Ito of Japan 11-1, 11-8. WORLD CHAMPION SUPRIANTO KNOCKED OUT OF ALL-ENGLAND March 15 - Injured world champion Joko Suprianto was knocked out of the All-England badminton championships on Wednesday. Suprianto was beaten by South Korean Park Sung-woo 15-11 15-4 in a second-round men's singles match. The 3/4 seed failed to overcome the handicap of a back injury as he went down tamely to the Korean. Suprianto, who had struggled through his opening match 17-14 15-7 against Dane Peter Espersen, removed a bandage protecting the injury during the first game against Park because he found it too restricting. But it did him no good against the solid play and outstanding defense of the Korean, who opened a 9-1 lead in the second game and was never under pressure. ARBI AND SUSANTI BREEZE THRU ALL-ENGLAND SECOND ROUND March 16 - Defending champions Heryanto Arbi and Susi Susanti breezed thru their second round matches at the 1995 All-England badminton tournament. Arbi, one of Indonesia's top singles players, outplayed Swiss men's singles champion Thomas Wapp 15-7, 15-4, while fellow Indonesian Susi Susanti, the world's top ladies' singles player, was barely troubled in her 11-4, 11-1 win over Scot Gillian Martin. While the men's singles top seed was having an easy time of it, other seeds were upset: The tenacious South Korean Park Sung-woo defeated Indonesian Joko Suprianto (seede 3/4) 17-14, 15-7 The Dane Soren B. Nielsen bested Indonesian Marleve Mainaky (seeded 9/16) with tricky netplay 12-15, 15-12, 17-7 Russian veteran Andrei Antropov ousted Malaysian Rashid Sidek (seeded 9/16) in a long and hard-fought match 15-13, 15-11 Jeroen Van Dijk of the Netherlands defeated Anders Nielsen of England 15-7, 10-15, 15-9. Nielsen, then 1995 English champion, had upset 5/8 seed Dong Jiong of China in the first round. Other seeded players made it thru the second round: Indonesian Ardy Wiranata (seeded 2) bested England's Daren Hall 18-15, 15-7 Dane Poul-erik Hoyer-Larsen (seeded 5/8) defeated Dutchman Joris van Soerland 15-11, 15-13 Indonesian Hermawan Susanto (seeded 5/8) defeated top Swedish player Jens Olssen 15-7, 15-2 Fung Permadi, an Indonesian playing for Chinese-Taipei, defeated Imay Hendra, a transplanted Indonesian playing as Swiss, 16-18, 15-7, 15-10. In ladies' singles, the seeded players all won: Korean Ra Kyung-min (5/8 seed) wiped out Kelly Morgan of Wales 11-1, 11-1 Swede Lim Xiao Qing (3/4 seed) defeated England's Jo Muggeridge 11-6, 12-10 China's Han Jingna (5/8 seed) bested Indonesian Juni Kartika 11-9, 11-7 Dane Camilla Martin (5/8 seed) ousted Masako Sakamoto of Japan 11-5, 11-2 China's Ye Zhaoying (3/4 seed) defeated Dane Mette Pedersen 11-3, 11-2 Indonesian junior Mia Audina Tjiptawan (5/8 seed) beat English champion Julia Mann 11-1, 11-4 Other prominent ladies' singles performances were turned in by Russian veteran Elena Rybkina who beat Dane Tanja Berg 11-0, 11-8 and Chinese junior Wang Chen who beat Singaporean champion Zarinah Abdullah 12-11, 11-4. In men's doubles, the top seeds had first round byes and prevailed in their second-round encounters. Top seeds Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja of Indonesia defeated Danes Ib Frederiksen and John Laursen 15-2, 15-2 with ease. 5/8 seeds Antonsson and Axelsson from Sweden ousted Dutchmen Kool and Weistra 15-4, 15-5. 3/4 seeds Holst-Christensen and Lund from Denmark bested the English pair of Bush and Pandya 15-0, 15-9. 5/8 seeds Razak and Santosa of Indonesia defeated Danes Jacobsen and Janum 15-7, 15-6. 5/8/ seeds Simon Archer and Chris Hunt from England beat Japan's Bitoh and Machida 15-4 15-7. 3/4 seeds Antonius and Denny kantono of Indonesia had a walkover as Nathan Robertson of the English pairing of Robertson and Cottell was injured prior to the match. The Malaysian twins Yap Yee Guan and Yap Yee Hup (5/8 seeds) beat Hurrell and Jones of England 15-5, 15-3. Indonesians Rudy Gunawan and Bambang Suprianto, seeded second, defeated Fernandes and Silva from Portugal 15-3, 15-8. In ladies' doubles, upsets marked the first round. The new Danish combination of Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen battled the second seeds Finarsih and Lili Tampi of Indonesia in a tight three-game match. The Danes put up a staunch defense against the jump-smashing Indonesians. When on offense, the tallish lefthander Thomsen controlled the net while the powerfully-built Stuer-Lauridsen hammered the shuttle from the backcourt. The Danes took the first game 15-6. The Indonesians fought back to take the second 15-11. In the third, Thomsen and Stuer-Lauridsen made good use of their offensive combination to win 15-11. Another newish pairing, Gil Young Ah (half of the 1994 champion team with the retired Chung So Young) and Jang Hye Ock of Korea, ousted 5/8 seeds Qin Yongchun and Tang Yongshu of China 15-3, 4-15, 15-8. Another new Danish pairing of Lotte Olsen and Ann Jorgensen of Denmark cloberred 5/8 seeds Maria Bengtsson and Margit Borg of Sweden 15-0, 15-2. In other ladies' doubles matches: The scratch Chinese team of singles specialists Ye Zhao Ying and Wang Chen wiped out the Russian pair of Suchareva and Yakusheva 15-1, 15-1. Ye and Wang are playing in place of compatriots and number one seeds Ge Fei and Gu Jun. 5/8 seeds Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark survived a first game loss to defeat England's Hardaker and Muggeridge 12-15, 15-2, 15-6. Danes Jansson and Sommer ousted qualifiers Dimbour of France and McEwan of Scotland 15-6, 15-10. 3/4 seeds Eliza and Zelin from Indonesia beat Anne Sondergaard and Lotte Thomsen of Denmark 15-6, 15-6. England's Nicola Beck and Joanne Davies defeated the tandem of Dane Anne Mette Bille and English veteran Gillian Gowers 5-15, 15-13, 15-9. 3/4 seeds and English champions Julie Bradbury and Joanne Wright beat the Russian pair, Rybkina and Marina Yakusheva, 15-11, 15-4. In mixed doubles, Tomas Lund and Marlene Thomsen, ranked first in the world, made their All-England debut as a pair by winning over the team of Robert Nock of England and Virginie Delvingt of France 15-7 15-3 in the second round. Lund and Thomsen have won the mixed doubles crowns in all the Grand Prix events that they have played in the past 12 months and are heavy favorites to take the All-England title. ARBI AND WIRANATA SURVIVE THIRD ROUND ALL-ENGLAND CHALLENGES March 16 - Indonesia's leading two men withstood determined challenges to their supremacy from Danish players before powering into the All-England badminton quarter-finals on Thursday. Their top two women also survived serious assaults but China's Ye Zhaoying, seeded 3/4, was knocked out 11-8 7-11 11-6 by unseeded South Korean Kim Ji-hyun in the third round. Defending men's singles champion Heryanto Arbi, bidding for a third successive crown, came through a testing second game against world number 24 Peter Rasmussen, advancing to the last eight with a 15-7 18-15 triumph. Ardy Wiranata, the 1991 champion and a finalist last year, was forced to come from behind to dispose of unranked Henrik Sorensen of Denmark. Wiranata won 10-15 15-2 18-13 after trailing 6-1 and 10-7 in the final game. Wiranata was hampered by a pulled leg muscle and was limping slightly towards the end of the match. Other noteable men's singles results are: Dane Soren Nielsen defeated Jeroen van Dijk of the Netherlands 9-15, 15-11, 15-5. Van Dijk is ranked in the top 10 in this year's badminton Grand Prix standings. Andrei Antropov of Russia scored a mild upset when he bested Korean Park Sungwoo in a thriller 12-15, 17-14, 15-6. Park had upset world champion Joko Suprianto in the previous round and sources close to the Korean camp said that Park was exhausted after his victory and did not have enough gas left to get past the Russian in the third game. In another mild upset, qualifier Lo Ah Heng of Malaysia defeated compatriot Yong Hock Kin 15-7 15-7. Yong is ranked higher than Lo in Malaysia and had been expected to be the leader of the Malaysian men's singles challenge when Rashid Sidek retires. Poul Hoyer-Larsen's match with 9/16 seed Hendrawan of Indonesia went according to form as the 5/8 seeded Dane won 15-8 15-9. In a battle of veterans, unseeded Korean J.C. Ahn bested 9/16 seed Fung Permadi, a top Indonesian playing under the Chinese Taipei banner. The scoreline was 11-15 15-5 15-9. 5/8 seed Hermawan Susanto of Indonesia bested 9/16 seed Hu Zhilan of China 15-6 15-4. Women's singles top seed Susi Susanti, chasing a fifth title in six years, dropped a game before beating Yao Yan of China 8-11 11-6 11-7. 5/8 seeded Mia Audina Tjiptawan, 15, became the youngest ever singles quarter-finalist with her 10-12 11-8 11-4 victory over Takako Ida of Japan. Tjiptawan, Indonesia's precocious badminton talent, found the going tougher than she might have expected as she reached the All-England quarter-finals on Thursday. The 15-year-old, who clinched her country's Uber Cup team triumph last year, finally subdued a determined Takako Ida of Japan, 10-12 11-8 11-4. The match took Tjiptawan closer to what many would see as a dream final against the reigning champion, her compatriot and four-time winner Susi Susanti. However, Tjiptawan would need to display better form and Ida was clear who would win that encounter if it took place. "Susi will win the title," Ida said. The players had a steady drift blowing across their court on Thursday and in the opening game, Tjiptawan coped with it better and used it to her advantage. But she also made more errors as the Japanese won it after trailing 9-7. "I was trying to do it too quickly. I was not patient enough," Tjiptawan said. But she slowly exerted her grip in the second game after trailing 3-2 and her superb wristy flicked overhead drops and controlled slices provided too many problems for her Japanese opponent. "I want to be successful as quickly as possible but I know I need more tournament experience," said Tjiptawan, who has reached two Asian circuit semifinals since her Uber Cup heroics. "I think I'm about fifth or sixth in the world right now," she added. Ida played Audina in the Malaysian Open last year. "She won then too but this was closer. We have both improved a lot since then," Ida said. Ida, Japan's number two in ladies' singles, won two matches on Wednesday to reach the last 16. She was the only one of 10 Japanese entries to post a singles victory at this year'a All-England. Other noteable ladies' singles results are: 5/8 seed Ra Kyungmin of Korea ousted Elena Rybkina of Russia 11-8 11-7. 3/4 seed Lim Xiao Qing of Sweden bested China's Zhang Ning after losing a tough first game 7-11 11-3 11-2. 5/8 seed Han Jingna of China defeated Russian Marina Yakusheva 11-6 11-1. 5/8 seeded Dane Camilla Martin disposed of Indonesian Juliani Santosa 11-7 11-2. Unseeded Chinese junior Wang Chen beat Lotte Thomsen of Denmark 11-8 11-4. In men's doubles action, the top-seeded pair of Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja, both of Indonesia, strolled into the quarterfinals with an untroubled 15-2 15-3 victory over the English team of Neil Cottrill and John Quinn. Mainaky and Subagja exhibited a superb jump-smashing and rotating offense that scored often against the English defense. Number two seeds Rudy Gunawan and Bambang Suprianto, also of Indonesia, had a slightly more difficult time against the Danish pair of Michael Sogaard and Henrik Svarrer, winning their match 15-6 15-5. However, 3/4 seeds Tomas Lund and Jon Holst-Christensen of Denmark and 5/8 seeds Jan-Eric Antonsson and Peter Axelsson of Sweden were upset by unseeded new combinations from Malaysia. Soo Beng Kiang and Tan Kim Her defeated the Swedish pair 18-17 15-7, and Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock surprised Lund and Holst-Christensen 9-15 15-11 15-12. Other men's doubles results are: 5/8/ seeds Aras Razak and Aman Santosa of Indonesia defeated James Andersson and Ian Pearson of England 17-14 15-7. 5/8 seeds Simon Archer and Chris Hunt bested Danes LArs Pedersen and Janek Roos 15-9 15-11. 3/4/ seeds Antonius and Denny Kantono of Indonesia beat Russians Antropov and Nikolai Zuev 15-9 15-5 with their extraordinary quickness. 5/8/ seeds Yap Yee Guan and Yap Yee Hup of Malaysia turned back the Korean challenge of Kang Kyungjin and Kim Dongmoon 15-9 15-10. In ladies' doubles play, the English pair of Julie Bardbury and Joanne Wright, seeded 3/4, toyed with the Dutch pair of Brenda Conijin and Carolien Glebbeek 15-3 15-0 to qualify for the quarterfinals. Indonesians Elisa and Rosianna Zelin, the other 3/4 seeds, ousted Nicola Beck and Joanne Davies of England 15-2 15-6. Other ladies' doubles results are: Wang Chen and Ye Zhaoying of China over Saori Ito and Haruko Matsuda of Japan 15-3 10-15 15-1 5/8 seeds Helene Kirkegard and Rikke Olsen of Denmark over fellow Danes Gitte Jansson and Gitte Sommer 15-5 15-2 5/8 seeds Kim Meehyang and Kim Shinyoung of Korea over Danes Michelle Rasmussen and Mette Sorensen 15-2 15-1 Anne Jorgensen and Lotte Olsen of Denmark over Japan's Tomomi Matsuo and Masako Sakamoto 15-9 15-5 Gil Youngah and Jang Hyeock of Korea over Tanja Berg and Mette Pedersen of Denmark 15-2 15-7 Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark over Lorraine Cole and Rebecca Pantaney of England 15-3 15-11. In mixed doubles play, top seeds Tomas Lund and Marlene Thomsen defeated China's Chen Xingdong and Wang Xiaoyuan 15-10 15-7 to qualify for the quarterfinals. Also qualifying for the quarterfinals are: Koreans Ha Taekwon and Kim Shinyoung with an upset win over 5/8 seeds Limpele Flandy and Dede Hasanah of Indonesia 15-9 15-11 3/4 seeds Jan-Eric Antonsson and Astris Crabo of Sweden with a win over Koreans kang Kyungjin and Jang Hyeock 15-7 15-11 5/8 seeds Simon Archer and Julie Bradbury of England with a 15-3 15-11 win over Christian Jacobsen and Lotte Olsen of Denmark 5/8 seeds Heryanto Trikus and Minarti Timur with a 15-9 15-1 win over Danes Thomas Damgaard and Helene Kirkegard Defending champions Nick Ponting and Jo Wright of England, seeded 3/4, with a 15-4 15-12 win over Michael Sogaard and Ann Jorgensen of Denmark 5/8 seeds Jon Holst-Christensen and Rikke Olsen of Denmark with a 15-8 15-3 win over compatriot Jim Laugessen and Swede Christine Magnusson Koreans Kim Dongmoon and Gil Youngah with a 13-15 15-10 15-6 win over China's Liang Qing and Tang Yongshu INDONESIAN 15-YEAR OLD AND MALAYSIAN QUALIFIER ENTER SEMIS March 17 - Indonesia's 15-year old badminton prodigy, Mia Audina Tjiptawan, squeezed past China's Wang Chen in a quarterfinal ladies' singles match at the All-England championships to become the youngest ever player to reach the singles semifinals of the sport's most prestigious annual event, while another youngster, Lo Ah Heng of Malaysia, outlasted a tired Andrei Antropov of Russia in a men's singles quarterfinal match to become the first ever qualifier to reach the semifinals of the All-England. Tjiptawan, or Mia Audina, as she is more commonly known, and Wang Chen, the world junior champion, battled on even terms throughout the match with each game going to setting, badminton's equivalent of the tie-break in tennis. The Chinese junior outsteadied Tjiptawan in the first game to win it at 12-10 as the Indonesian made attacking errors with hits into the net or out of the court. In the second game. the Indonesian teenager fought back from the brink of defeat, two match points down, as she switched tactics from an attacking game to a patient rallying style of play. The change bore fruit as she took the second 12-11 on an error by a tiring Wang Chen. The two youngsters came back from a five-minute break and exchanged scoring streaks in the third game until Tjiptawan wore down the frail-looking but tenacious Chinese girl to win after holding 6 match points. The third game ended at 12-10 in favor of the Indonesian. The quarterfinal victory puts the rising star of Indonesian women's badminton within one match of an All-England dream final with Susi Susanti, the 24-year-old world, Olympic, and All-England champion and quarterfinal victor over Korean Ra Kyungmin. Susanti is the universally acknowledged leader of the women's game, while Mia Audina, nine years younger at 15, is the heiress apparent, setting out her stake as the successor if and when Susanti decides enough is enough. That may not be for a while because Susanti said on Thursday that she plans to defend her Olympic title in Atlanta in 1996. If Susanti beats Lim Xiao Qing of Sweden in Friday's semifinals and Tjiptawan gets past Dane Camilla Martin, the youngster may have to settle for a good lesson in tactics from the champion. Lim was the easy winner over China's Han Jingna in her quarterfinal match 11-0 11-8, while Martin had a slightly more difficult win over Korean Kim Jihyun 11-8 11-6. It was a measure of Audina's inexperience that she was willing to talk on Thursday about the possibility of a clash with Susanti, even though she had to win two more matches just to make it happen. "Hopefully I can reach the final to play her. She beat me twice in the 1993 Indonesia Games but I was only 13 (then)," she said. "We have different coaches so we don't even practise together," Tjiptawan added. "I'm getting better. Maybe I'm fifth or sixth best in the world now. (But) I want to move up as quickly as possible (and) I know I need more experience," she said. Susanti wisely refused to contemplate the clash before her quarterfinal match. "It is too soon to think about it," she said. Susanti then went out and crushed her quarter-final rival, Ra Kyung-min of South Korea, 11-3 11-0 in 21 minutes. Martin, 24-year-old Danish champion five years running, is in her first All-England semifinal. She has not lost a game in three matches - not even Susanti can boast of that - but was beaten in her own previous encounter with Audina, in last year's Singapore Open. In the men's singles event, defending champion Heryanto Arbi can reach the finals without even meeting a seeded player. The withdrawals of Olympic champion Allan Budi Kusuma and Olympic bronze medalist Tomas Stuer-Lauridsen, both seeded in the tournament, and early upsets in the event cleaned out the top half of the men's draw and his opponent in Friday's semifinals is the first ever qualifier to reach an All-England semifinal, Lo Ah Heng of Malaysia, ranked 128th in the world. In his quarterfinal match, Arbi trounced a demoralized Soren B. Nielsen 15-3 15-6. The Danish player had no answer to Arbi's combination of power and quickness. Nielsen tried to disarm Arbi's prowess with the jumpsmash by engaging him at the net. This tactic proved futile as Arbi was very quick to pounce on loose net shots while Nielsen's usually reliable trick crosscourt netshots failed him. Lo outlasted a tired Andrei Antropov of Russia, 18-17 15-10. Lo, whose silky footwork is reminiscent of Han Jian of China, a former world men's singles champion and current Malaysian team coach, seemed nervous at first as the veteran Russian played a slow, deliberate all-court game to try to negate Lo's jumpsmashes. Lo settled down as he got used to Antropov's fakes and netgame to snatch the first game 18-17. In the second game, Antropov showed the effects of his previous singles and doubles matches as he lost his touch at the net and hit either loose shots which Lo pounced on or net errors. Lo took the second game and the match from the tired Antropov 15-10. The other men's singles semifinal could be a battle royale between two of the players seeded 5/8, Hermawan Susanto of Indonesia and Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen of Denmark. Susanto trounced second-seeded compatriot Ardy Wiranata, 15-12 15-7. Wiranata was not his usual self as he was nursing a lower leg injury that had gotten worse as the tournament progressed. Susanto took advantage of Wiranata's inability to cover the four corners or to defend smashes to the sidelines. Wiranata tried to make a go of it in the first but his injury hampered his game. At the changeover, Wiranata put a bandage on his injured lower left leg, fully intent on winning the second. After a good start, however, his injury got the the better of him as he started to noticeably limp around the court in pain. Susanto then scored the winning points as Wiranata was unable to reach many shots to the sidelines. Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark qualified for the final four for only the second time in ten years with a hard-fought 9-15 15-7 15-12 win over Ahn Jae-chang of South Korea. The Dane may be ready to go further. " I've never been in better shape and this has been my best season ever," he said referring to his performances in earlier badminton Grand Prix events. In men's doubles, top seeds Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja of Indonesia whipped perennial rival Soo Beng Kiang of Malaysia and his new partner, Tan Kim Her, 15-4 15-2. Soo and Tan did not have the cohesiveness needed to pose any serious threat to the world number one combination. Soo's previous partner, Cheah Soon Kit, fared better against the 5/8 seeds from Indonesia, Aras Razak and Aman Santosa. Cheah and teammate Yap Kim Hock bested the Indonesian pair 15-7 18-14 with stellar defending and fine control of the net by Yap. In a battle of middle seeds, Indonesians Antonius and Denny Kantono disposed of the host country's champion pair of Simon Archer and Chis Hunt in a tight three gamer 15-12 7-15 15-9. The Indonesian tandem exhibited a tremendous smash defense, often flicking back smashes that were almost on the floor. The Indonesian defending as well as superb jump-smashing from the smaller Antonius took their toll on the heavy-hitting English pair, specially in the third as Hunt and Archer made crucial mistakes. Second seeds Rudy Gunawan and Bambang Suprianto continued their defense of the men's doubles crown by beating the third Malaysian pair in the quarterfinals, the twins Yan Yee Guan and Yap Yee Hup. The scoreline was 15-9 15-2. In ladies' doubles action, the Danish pair of Helene Kirkegaard and Rikke Olsen put an end to the aspirations of the scratch Chinese tandem of singles specialists Ye Zhao Ying and Wang Chen with a 15-9 15-2 victory. Ye looked particularly lost at times, playing singles-style net shots that the Danish pair pounced on with venom. Smash defense also caused the Chinese dearly as the Danes found the holes in the positioning of the two singles specialists. The remaining Indonesian hope in ladies' doubles, Eliza and Zelin, battled the Koreans Kim Meehyang and Kim Shinyoung for a spot in the semifinals. Eliza and Zelin lost the first game to the Koreans 10-15 then came back in the second, winning 15-2 as the two Kims seemed to lose their concentration. The Indonesians then closed out the match with a third game score of 15-9. The English pair of Julie Bradbury and Jo Wright had a tremendous start against the Danish tandem of Ann Jorgensen and Lotte Olsen as they blanked their opponents 15-0 in the first, picking mainly on the less-experienced Jorgensen. In the second game, the veteran Lotte Olsen took control of the Danish side of the court with steady backcourt hitting as well as defense. The English also seemed to have become overconfident and overrelaxed as they lost 7-15. In the five-minute break, English team manager Andy Goode had a lengthy chat with Bradbury and Wright and doubles coach Lee Jae Bok also gave the two a few words of advice. The talk apparently paid off as the English pair steadied themselves and played with more concentration and less mistakes to take the third 15-12. The last semifinal slot in the ladies' doubles was taken by the Korean pair of Gil Young Ah and Jang Hye Ock as they defeated the Danes Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen 15-13 15-9. In mixed doubles, Tomas Lund and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark continued to exhibit their superiority over the field by beating the Korean entry of Ha Taekwon and Kim Shinyoung. In winning the first game 15-7, the lanky Lund displayed his skill at court coverage and at the midcourt shots so vital to the mixed doubles discipline, while his tallish partner, the lefthanded Thomsen, used her height and reach to control the net. With their backs to the wall, the Koreans put up a stiffer fight in the second with Kim working the net and Ha pounding smashes at Thomsen's direction. On the other hand, the Danes started out complacently and had to fight to get the game to setting and ultimately win 18-17. The English player Julie Bradbury qualified for her second semifinal as she and partner Simon Archer defeated European rivals Jan-Eric Antonsson and Astrid Crabo of Sweden 15-9 7-15 15-12. Indonesians Heryanto Trikus and Minarti Timur ousted the defending champions Nick Ponting and Jo Wright of England. "Tricky" Trikus proved to be the difference with his speed around the court on defense and his deceptive leaping shots that were either straight-on smashes, crosscourt smashes, straight and crosscourt drops, or clears. The scoreline was 6-15 15-7 15-4. Lund's men's doubles partner, Jon Holst-Christensen, and Rikke Olsen of Denmark rounded out the semifinalists with their untroubled win over Kim Dongmoon and Gil Youngah of Korea 15-9 15-5. In this match, the Koreans were unable to solve Olsen's backhand sliced short serve and her reach at the net, both of which the Danes used to set up winning shots by Holst-Christensen or to seize the attack from the Koreans. SUSI SUSANTI UPSET IN ALL-ENGLAND SEMIFINALS March 18 - Lim Xiao Qing of Sweden stunned world and Olympic champion Susi Susanti 12-11 11-7 on Friday to set up the first all-European women's final at the All-England badminton championships since 1976. Denmark's Camilla Martin completed the elimination of the Indonesian women's team with an 11-6 12-10 triumph over Mia Audina in the second semifinal. Lim, 27, scored her first career victory in nine attempts against Susanti, who failed for the second time to win three successive titles in this prestigious event. Susanti was the champion in 1990 and 1991, and again the last two years. "As a human, I cannot win every time," a still smiling Susanti said later. "Lim played a very patient and tactical game, the best she has ever played again me." "This is the best victory of my life," said Lim, who left China after the Tiananmen Square riots in 1989 to accept an offer to play for a Swedish club in Malmo. Susanti was under siege from the start against third seed Lim, who opted to play long rallies instead of her more natural aggressive game but still fired home countless winners. At 9-9 in the first game, Susanti won two points but fluffed her chance for the game, losing two points and making a mistake on a drop shot to concede it. In the second game, a comeback, so often a feature of Susanti's success, was not to be as Qing ran up a quick 6-0 lead, helped by some bad mistakes by the Indonesian. Susanti slowly worked her way back to 7-3, then 7-7, but made costly errors on the next two points. A great crosscourt smash took Lim to match point and Susanti succumbed in the next rally with a drop shot that went wide. "At 6-0 in the second game I was thinking I must not lose 11-0. Then when I reached 7-7 I thought I had a good chance," Susanti said. "But I made two mistakes then. I think if it had gone to three games I would have won because I still felt fresh." Lim said she had tried new tactics when they last met. "It was close then so I tried to play the same way tonight," she said. Camilla Martin gained her place in the ladies' singles finals alongside Lim by outgunning the precocious 15-year-old Tjiptawan, Indonesia's heroine in their Uber Cup team victory last year, 11-6 12-10. Audina was the youngest-ever semifinalist but after two three-game wins in Thursday's round-of-16 and quarterfinals, her luck ran out against the 20-year-old Dane. "I knew if I could keep my concentration and play my own game I had a 50-50 chance," said Martin, who had lost their only previous encounter. Martin beat the young Indonesian with her deceptive forehand shots at the net and with patient rallying, punctuated with smashes and fast drops after an extended Audina cleared from the left backcourt. After her match with Audina, Martin commented on her prospects against Lim. "I have beaten her four or five times and lost only once," she said. Martin defeated Lim in their last match 11-7 11-7 to win the Swiss Open title two weeks previously. "It is nice to know that Susi Susanti can be beaten. It is a good result for badminton," Martin added. The men's singles final will be between top seed Heryanto Arbi of Indonesia, bidding for a third successive title, and Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen of Denmark. Arbi scored a 17-15 15-0 victory over Malaysian Lo Ah Heng, the first qualifier to reach the semifinals, while Hoyer Larsen, into his first final here at the age of 29, beat Indonesian Hermawan Susanto 15-8 12-15 18-16. Arbi opened a 14-7 lead over Lo in his match with his usual leaping style of smashing and quick dashes to the net for putaways. The Malaysian, who was hampered by a wrist injury, was unable to control his blocks of Arbi's smashes but managed to climb back to level at 14-14 as a Malaysian cheering section chanted his name and as Arbi seemed to relax and made unforced errors. At 14-14, Arbi buckled down and took the next three to clinch the game. In the second, Lo faded and went down at love as Arbi unloaded his full arsenal of smashes, drops and net kills. In the men's doubles semifinals, favorites Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja of Indonesia bested the Malaysian duo of Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock. Mainaky and Subagja had full control of the first game, taking it 15-3. In the second game, the Malaysian cheering section became noisier as they sensed that their last hope for a 1995 All-England championship was about to vanish. Bolstered by their compatriots' cheers, Cheah and Yap played brilliantly and as a team. Mainaky committed several errors as the Malaysian taunts of "Ladies' game" irritated him. Cheah and Yap took advantage of Mainaky's miscues and got to game point before the calmer Subagja righted the Indonesian side's play to finally win the game and the match 17-15. On the other side of the men's doubles draw, the Indonesian team of Antonius and Denny Kantono, seeded 3/4, upended the defending champions and second seeds, compatriots Rudy Gunawan and Bambang Suprianto in three games. Gunawan and Suprianto started the match on fire. With Bambang Suprianto "banging" away from the backcourt and Gunawan finessing the netplay, the second seeds took the first with ease 15-5. However, the youth and quickness of Antonius and Kantono came through in the second and third while Gunawan tired and made numerous errors in the front court. Antonius' retrieves of Suprianto smashes from just above the floor and Kantono's point-scoring tight net shots drew ooh's and ah's from an appreciative crowd as did many of the exciting rallies and smash-block exchanges. The scoreline was 5-15 15-9 15-11 in favor of Antonius and Kantono. In ladies' doubles, the Indonesian tandem of Eliza and Zelin, seeded 3/4, disposed of the Danish champions and 5/8 seeds, Helene Kirkegard and Rikke Olsen, 15-10 15-12 with a powerful style of play. The unseeded Korean pair of Gil Youngah and Jang Hyeock ended the host country's hopes for an All-England crown as they defeated Julie Bradbury and Jo Wright 15-10 15-3. Earlier, mixed doubles expert Thomas Lund and partner Marlene Thomsen of Denmark had beaten Bradbury and Simon Archer 15-9 7-15 15-12. Denmark's Jon Holst-Christensen and Rikke Olsen rounded out the roster of finalists with their 15-10 15-8 victory over the Indonesian combination of Heryanto Trikus and Minarti Timur. In their match, the Danes took advantage of Indonesian unfamiliarity with mixed strategy as they constantly managed to force Timur to the rearcourt and pin her there until they could pound a weak return to the floor. The Danish short serves were also effective as the Indonesians returned several into the net at crucial moments. DANISH PLAYERS POISED TO CLAIM ALL-ENGLAND CROWNS March 18 - Denmark, without a singles finalist in six years, are in position to win the men's and women's singles titles at the All-England badminton championships finals on Saturday. The Danes are already assured of the mixed doubles crown with an all-Danish final featuring world number ones Thomas Lund and Marlene Thomsen against Jon Holst-Christensen and Rikke Olsen in the event. Camilla Martin is given an excellent chance of beating Lim Xiao Qing of Sweden for the women's crown, but it would be a feat of Herculean proportions for Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen to defeat world number one Heryanto Arbi of Indonesia. Arbi, aged 22, is trying to become the first man to win three titles in succession since his legendary compatriot Rudy Hartono took seven straight from 1968 to 1974. Hoyer Larsen is playing in his first final at the age of 29 and after 14 years of trying. However, the Dane has never played better and his 15-8 12-15 18-16 semifinal triumph over another Indonesian, Hermawan Susanto, on Friday was a firm measure of his determination. He was leading the final game 13-10 when a dubious line call upset him. Susanto took advantage of Hoyer Larsen's lapse of concentration and forced setting at 13-all. Susanto pulled ahead 16-13 on more errors from the unsettled Dane. Hoyer Larsen finally managed to pull himself together and rattled off five straight points for his victory at 18-16. In the finals, Hoyer Larsen must now face Arbi, against whom he has recorded just one victory in seven matches, having won in Copenhagen in December in the round-robin of an invitational tournament 18-16 18-13 but losing badly 15-0 15-6 at the Korean Open in January. "I think I have an advantage playing him in Europe though it is not as big an advantage as he has when we play in Asia. The humidity and the heat there are so high, there is no comparison to what we have in Europe," Hoyer Larsen said. However, Hoyer Larsen believes he has a good chance. "If he plays very fast and I am (always) on the run, I don't think I have a chance. But if I can stop his smash, perhaps I can do it," he said. Arbi, who ended the run of Malaysian qualifier Lo Ah Heng in his semifinal match, would not discuss the prospective final against Hoyer Larsen, except that he was pleased to do so. "I am glad to be playing him (instaed of Susanto) because Hermawan is a good friend of mine and (playing him) would be difficult," he said. The last Danish singles finalist at an All-England badminton championships was Morten Frost, who lost the 1989 final after winning four times previously. The first all-European women's final since 1976 sees Martin as a slight favourite to become Denmark's first winner since Kirsten Larsen in 1987. "(However) I am a completely different player than Larsen was," Martin said. "But I have beaten Lim four or five times and lost only once." Although Lim is seeded third and Martin fifth, the 20-year- old blonde from Aarhus, Denmark takes a lot of confidence into the match after her semifinal defeat of Indonesian prodigy Mia Audina Tjiptawan 11-6 12-10 on Friday. Lim will also be highly confident after her sterling 12-11 11-7 upset over world number one and defending champion Susi Susanti of Indonesia, the world and Olympic titleholder. The upset win was a shock result that the Chinese-born Swede had not been able to produce in eight previous meetings against Susanti. Lim attributed her success to a decision to play singles only this season and the fact that she has been injury-free. SWEDEN'S LIM BEATS MARTIN IN ALL-ENGLAND FINAL March 18 - Sweden's Chinese-born Lim Xiao Qing captured the 1995 All-England women's singles badminton title with an 11-9 10-12 11-3 triumph in 65 minutes over Dane Camilla Martin on Saturday. The 27-year-old Lim had to weather a courageous performance from Martin, who fought back from a 10-2 deficit in the second game to force a deciding third game. The Dane had won five of their previous six contests, but Lim took advantage of a succession of errors from the 20-year-old Martin to race away with the final game in 13 minutes. HOYER LARSEN OF DENMARK UPSETS ARBI IN ALL-ENGLAND FINALS March 18 - Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen scored one of Denmark's greatest successes in the sport of badminton when he upset world number one Heryanto Arbi of Indonesia 17-16 15-6 to win the All-England men's singles badminton title on Saturday. The 29-year-old Dane trailed the title-holder 7-0 in the opening game but then started to time the Indonesian's jumpsmashes more correctly and block these delicately over the net. Hoyer Larsen took control of the contest with this tactic, nullifying Arbi's power to exert a firm grip on the match. After surviving three game points, Hoyer Larsen fought back from 16-14 down to snatch the opener at 17-16. Then from 7-6 in front in the second, he raced to victory as the 22-year old Indonesian top seed became thoroughly demoralised. LUND AND THOMSEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS AT ALL-ENGLAND March 18 - The world's top-ranked badminton mixed doubles pair, Thomas Lund and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark, affirmed their preeminent standing on Saturday by capturing the mixed doubles championship of the prestigious All-England championships in Birmingham. Lund and Thomsen defeated fellow Danes Jon Holst-Christensen and Rikke Olsen 15-7 15-7. Lund and Thomsen were in control of the match from the onset and never let their opponents into the game. The tallish pair of Lund and Thomsen had such great coverage of the court that Holst-Christensen and Olsen had to abandon a flat midcourt style of play and to try the tactic of forcing the lady player to play in the rearcourt, a tactic that had worked so well against the Indonesian pair of Trikus and Timur in the semifinals. However, Thomsen was up to the challenge as she would mix up her shots from the rear and send back smashes, drops or clears while Lund stood at midcourt, picking off loose returns and dashing off to cover any open corners. Thomsen was also able to rush back to her normal frontcourt position, allowing Lund to recover to the back. Lund and Thomsen's victory leaves them undefeated so far since they joined forces in mid-1994 and tips them as favorites for May's world championships and the 1996 Olympics. In men's doubles action, world number ones Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja of Indonesia withstood a ferocious challenge from compatriots Antonius and Denny Kantono to win thier first All-England title. The match featured the power jump smashing and blocking that characterizes the Asian men's doubles game. The scoreline was 15-12 15-18 15-8 in favor of Mainaky and Subagja. In ladies' doubles, the unseeded Korean tandem of Gil Youngah and Jang Hye-ock breezed past Indonesians Eliza and Zelin 15-6 15-3 to claim the All-England title. Gil Youngah is half of the 1994 All-England ladies' doubles titleists. The other half, Chung Soyoung, has retired from international play. INDONESIAN FAVOURITES ECLIPSED AT ALL-ENGLAND March 19 - Indonesia, touted as the world's powerhouse in the sport of badminton, ended a miserable week at the world's most prestigious annual badminton with only the men's doubles championship in their hands as their top players, favourites in most events, were upended. Things started badly for the Indonesians when ladies' doubles second-seeds Finarsih and Lili Tampi, favoured to win the title after top seeds Ge Fei and Gu Jun of China pulled out due to injury, were upset in their very first match by Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen of Denmark. Joko Suprianto, defending world champion, was the next to fall as he was defeated in the third round by Park Sung-woo of Korea. The biggest upset was that of ladies' singles world and Olympic champion Susi Suanti at the hands of Lim Xiao Qing of Sweden in the semifinals. It was Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen who completed a miserable All-England championships for the Indonesian favourites. The 29-year-old Dane capped the eclipse of the previously invincible Indonesians with a 17-16 15-6 triumph over two-time champion and world number one Heryanto Arbi to win the men's singles title on Saturday. Hoyer Larsen -- beaten 15-0 15-6 the last time he met Arbi -- completed three wins over Indonesians on his way to victory and was in no doubt about where the credit for his success rested. Denmark's singles team began working with four-time champion Morten Frost this year and it has paid huge dividends. "Morten has changed the way we train," he said. "He knew how to win big tournaments and when he told us things he wanted us to use, we listened because of our respect for his past in the game." Hoyer-Larsen learned everything he needed to know about Arbi's game as he dropped the first seven points of the match. "I knew where he smashed and that if I were able to catch his smash, I had a chance," he said. He was soon level at 7-7 and it stayed close to 14-all. Arbi led 16-14, then Hoyer Larsen swept three points for the game. After that the Dane slowly turned the screws and demoralised Arbi with his timed drop returns of the famed Arbi smash. "This is great for us because it shows us we can compete with the Indonesians," Hoyer Larsen said. "This is one of the most prestigious events and this is the greatest moment of my life." "It was a blitz at the start but in the second game I was in control," Hoyer Larsen added. Arbi paid a sporting tribute to the victor. "I didn't think he could respond to my play as well as he did. Whatever I tried, he could return," he said.