S. Korea, Denmark early winners in Sudirman Cup
S. Korea, Denmark early winners in Sudirman Cup
GLASGOW (AFP): South Korea and Denmark, playing their first matches in the Sudirman Cup, the team event of the World Badminton Championships, beat England and Sweden by identical margins, 4-1 here on Wednesday.
Denmark's win was more comfortable, however, because the one rubber it conceded was a dead one -- and the manner of its victory was more impressive.
Korea, twice former champions, was pushed a little harder. It suffered a real shock when Park Sung-woo, singles finalist in the last World Championships, was beaten 15-10, 17-15 by 32-year-old Darren Hall as England tied the match at one apiece.
Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung-min had had to battle really hard to put the Koreans 1-0 up in the mixed doubles rubber.
The English team of Simon Archer and Julie Bradbury came back from a deficit of 7-14 to 13-14 before surrendering the opening game, saving five game points in the process.
In the second, Archer and Bradbury led 9-5 and 10-7, but Kim and Ra struck back with a display of dazzling badminton.
Kim Ji-hyun's 11-5, 11-1 win over Julia Mann in the women's singles finally gave the Koreans the momentum to ease away to victory.
After Denmark had taken a 2-0 lead over Sweden, Rikard Magnusson briefly threatened to do for the losers what Hall did for England.
He held a big lead in the first game against Thomas Stuer- Lauridsen. But once the Dane got into stride, Magnusson was overwhelmed.
Defeats for England and Sweden meant that they will have to contest the play-off on Friday to decide which of them is relegated to Division 2.
In that Division, Malaysia looks a good bet for promotion into the elite group after it beat Russia 3-2, sealing its win in the very last point of the match.
Law Pei Pei secured a remarkable win for the Malaysians in the women's singles over Elena Sukhareva, winning 11-1 5-11 12-11.
Other results
China, the Cup holder, and Indonesia, its main rival, was rampant in beating England and Sweden, respectively, in their opening ties.
Both won without conceding a rubber and the only game that China dropped was in the men's doubles, after the outcome was decided.
In the women's singles rubber of that China - England match, Ye Zhaoying, the reigning World and All-England champion, demolished Julia Mann 11-0, 11-2 in 12 minutes, seizing the first game in just three.
Sweden's defiance of Indonesia was confined to the men's singles in which Thomas Johansson, silver medalist in the European Championships three years ago, extended former World champion, Joko Suprianto, taking the first game.
But Joko showed him no mercy in the second and third, winning them at the cost of only three and nine points.
Thailand, relegated from the first division, damaged its chances of going up against by losing its opening match against Germany from a seemingly impregnable position.
In the deciding rubber, the women's doubles, Somharuthai Jaroensiri and Thitikarnh led Karen Stechmann and Kerstin Ubben 12-8 in the final game, but could not drive home their advantage and lost without being able to claim another point.
The same group in the second division produced another thriller, Chinese Taipei beating Japan, whose men must take the major share of the blame for their defeat.
Scotland strengthened its position in the 3rd division by beating Norway, but to justify its top seeding in its group, it must beat New Zealand, which was impressive in whitewashing India.
Results
1st Division
Group A: China bt England 5-0 Liu Yong/Ge Fei bt Nick Ponting/Julie Bradbury 15-7, 17-14 Dong Jiong bt Peter Knowles 15-9, 15-6 Ye Zhaoying bt Julia Mann 11-0, 11-2 Liu Yong/Zhang Wei bt Chris Hunt/Simon Archer 15-9, 10-15, 15-6 Qin Yiyuan/Tang Yongshu bt Jpanne/Donna Kellogg 15-4, 15-7.
Group B: Indonesia bt Sweden 5-0 Sigit Budiarto/Candra Wijaya bt Peter Axelsson/Oar Gunnar Jonsson 15-8, 15-10 Eliza/Zelin Resiana bt Marina Andrievskaya/Catrine Bengtsson 15- 8, 17-15 Joko Suprianto bt Thomas Johansson 16-18, 15-3, 15-9 Mia Audina bt Margit Borg 11-7, 11-8 Tri Kusherjanto/Minarti Timur bt Peter Axelsson/Catrine Bengtsson 15-9, 17-14
3rd Division
Group B: Scotland 5 Norway 0 New Zealand 5 India 0