Martin Finds No Ready Answer to Chinese Ladies' Dominance

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, August 02, 2003

Martin Finds No Ready Answer to Chinese Ladies' Dominance

Danish badminton star Camilla Martin said here on Friday that China will continue to dominate the lady's singles for the next five to ten years.

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Danish badminton star Camilla Martin said here on Friday that China will continue to dominate the lady's singles for the next five to ten years.

Martin, who won the world championships in 1999, has been regarded as the only non-Chinese player to be able to break the dominance of Chinese girls during the last five or six years.

She earned the respect from the Chinese side by amazingly beating four Chinese top players in a row before capturing the title of the All England Open tournament last year.

A big question therefore emerged when the 29-year-old Dane saidshe would retire after next year's Athens Olympics: Could anyone else fill in her shoes to maintain the challenge to Chinese ladies. ��

Martin, who lost to Chinese Zhang Ning in two sets in the quarterfinals of the 13th world championships on Friday, said thatit would be very difficult for others to follow her footsteps.

She had not seen any new face coming out from the European campto take on Chinese dominance.

"It takes a lot of courage to go out there and fight against them (the Chinese ladies)," said Martin.

"I don't see any one coming out from Europe to take on the Chinese girls, not right now.

"The Chinese will dominate the women's singles for the next fivemaybe ten years," she said.

Martin admitted that it would not be "very funny" to see four Chinese in the semifinals, but said that she had "done her part" to give something different to the ladies singles event.

As Europe has no answer to Chinese superiority, Martin also failed to respond to sharp-formed Zhang, who made the semifinals following a convincing 11-6 and 11-0 victory in 22 minutes.

"She was all over the court, she didnot give me any chance to get into the match," she said.

"When she played like this, it is impossible to beat her.

"I think she would go on to win on Sunday (in the final)," she added.

Martin was here for her career's last world championships, but she didnot have bitter feeling about such ending.

"I am of course very disappointed, but I am not really so disappointed, because she was better than me.

"Today I didnot have any chance against Zhang Ning. It makes mefeel a little easier in the way I think she is the best ladies singles player in the tournament," she said.

Martin confirmed her wish to retire next year, but kept her future choice in secret.

"It is secret up to now, I really want to concentrate on playing,all I can tell you is that it will be some television stuff," she said.

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