All champs to defend Grand Prix titles

All champs to defend Grand Prix titles

JAKARTA (JP): The organizers of the Lipton World Grand Prix
Badminton Finals in Denpasar, Bali, must be very relieved as all
the defending champions have agreed to defend their titles.

Indonesia's Joko Suprianto, Ye Zhaoying of China, Cheah Soon
Kit/Yap Kim Hock of Malaysia, China's Ge Fei/Gu Jun and Trikus
Heryanto/Minarti Timur of Indonesia are to try to regain their
titles, which were won in last year's finals in Singapore.

National male shuttlers Hermawan Susanto, Alan Budi Kusuma and
juniors Budi Santoso and Indra Wijaya are listed among the
participants at the US$350,000 championships, which takes place
from Dec. 4 to Dec. 8 at the Yuwana Mandala Stadium, Denpasar.

Olympic gold medalist Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark,
Chinese Dong Jiong and Malaysian veteran Rashid Sidek are seen as
the country's shuttlers' toughest rivals.

In the women's singles, national badminton queen Susi Susanti,
the 1992 Olympic gold medalist; Mia Audina, Olympic silver
medalist, and world-ranked-ninth Meluawati are listed among the
participants.

Five-time winner Susi, who won her first World Grand Prix
Final in 1990 in Bali, is expected to regain another title here.
But she has to overcome Dane Camilla Martin and Chinese shuttlers
Wang Chen and Zhang Ning.

Olympic gold medalists Ricky Subagja/Rexy Mainaky of Indonesia
are expected to be able to overcome the challenge of old rivals
Cheah/Yap.

Badminton fans expect the two pairs to meet again in the final
and perform their best, as they did in the Olympic final.

Compatriots Antonius/Denny Kantono, Tony Gunawan/Rudy Wijaya
and Chandra Wijaya/Sigit are seen as their toughest opponents.

In the women's doubles, Indonesia's best hope Eliza may miss
the tournament due to her measles. She qualified for the
tournament with partner Zelin Resiana. Juniors Indarti
Isolina/Deyana Lomban have also qualified.

The Indonesian pairs are due to challenge Olympic gold
medalists Chinese Ge/Gu and Helene Kirkeegard/Rikke Olsen of
Denmark.

Indonesia's mixed doubles Trikus/Minarti see compatriots
Flandy Limpele/Risyeu Rosalina and Michael Sogaard/Rikke Olsen of
Denmark as their toughest rivals.

The tournament will be beamed to Asian countries by Star TV.
(yan)