Chinese Female Shuttlers Sweep Singles, Doubles Titles in China Open

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 23, 2002

Chinese Female Shuttlers Sweep Singles, Doubles Titles in China Open

Chinese female shuttlers swept the singles and doubles titles in the China Open badminton championships Sunday in Guangzhou.

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Chinese Female Shuttlers Win Doubles Titles

Chinese female shuttlers swept the singles and doubles titles in the China Open badminton championships Sunday in Guangzhou.

Top seed Gong Ruina upset teammate Zhang Ning 11-5, 11-8 to clinch the women's singles title while Gao Ling/Huang Sui defeated Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting 11-9, 11-3 in an all-Chinese doubles final.

It was also Gong's first China Open title after her second-place finish in 1999 and 2001, both behind fellow Chinese Zhou Mi,who skipped this year's tournament due to an appendicitis operation.

Gong broke a 3-3 tie in the first game to score six straight points for a 9-3 lead.

Gong Takes Women's Singles Title

Zhang, winner of the 1996 China Open, managed to cut the deficit to 9-5 before Gong took it 11-5.

After they were tied in 3-3 and 5-5, Zhang, seeded second in the tournament, gained the upper hand with her vicious smashes andled 8-5.

But the 27-year-old veteran couldn't maintain the momentum onlyfor Gong to collect six points in a row to win 11-8 and the title.

"I didn't think too much about the results," the 21-year-old Gong said after the match. "So I could play my normal game."

In the women's doubles, Gao/Huang who trailed 4-1 and 8-5 in the opening set, staged a late rally to close the gap at 9-7. TheChinese top doubles pair then went on to overtake 10-9 but they failed to convert the game point.

After the service changed hands twice, Gao/Huang claimed the set 11-9 as Wei's return hit the net.

In the second set, Gao/Huang was in total command and raced to an early 7-0 lead.

Wei/Zhao saved one match point at 10-2 but it was too late for the unseeded duo. Gao/Huang sealed the game 11-3 to win the final.

In the men's singles final, Malaysia's Choong Hann Wong staged a remarkable rally to demolish top seed Chen Hong of China to win the title.

Wong came back from one set down to defeat Chen 12-15, 15-5, 15-9 in a hard-fought duel that lasted 79 minutes.

It was Wong's second singles title this season. The 25-year-oldMalaysian also won at the Holland Open.

"Chen took the first set thanks to his hard-hitting play," saidWong. "But he made too many errors in the second and third ones."

After the score was tied 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 in the opener, Wong, runner-up of the 2001 China Open, broke the deadlock to lead 6-3 and 8-6.

But world No. 1 Chen grabbed six straight points to overtake 12-8 only for Wong to claw back and close the gap at 12-10, then 13-12.

Chen, however, did not let his opponent go any further and collected two points to win 15-12.

Wong, third-seed of the tournament, regained his composure in the second set and leveled it 1-1 to force a decider.

Chen, who had only dropped one set in previous four matches en route to the final, looked out of sorts in the final set while hisMalaysian opponent was on fire again.

Wong raced to a 7-0 lead in a roller coaster of a game before the Chinese ace showed traces of recovery, taking three points in a row to narrow the gap to 7-3.

Leading 11-5, at which services changed sides six times, Wong broke the tie with a brilliant winner.

Cheered on by the nearly 5,000 thousand home crowd, Chen then surged to score four straight points only for Wong to do the same and wrap up the match.

Pramote Teerawiwatana/Tesana Panvisvas of Thailand beat Malaysia's Choon Eng Chew/Chong Ming Chan 15-8, 15-8 to win the men's doubles title.

On Saturday, Zhang Jun/Gao Ling of China toppled compatriots Chen Qiqiu/Zhao Tingting 11-4, 11-4 to win the mixed doubles title.

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