Sigit, Candra edged out in Korea

Sigit, Candra edged out in Korea

Agencies, Incheon City, Korea

Danes Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Jens Eriksen had the measure of
Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto in the Korea Open men's doubles
final on Sunday, but the Indonesian veterans pushed them to the
limit.

After 66 minutes on court, the second seeds finally overcame
the resistance of their longtime foes 7-13, 15-13, 15-13, thanks
to the brilliant smashing of the 192 cm Eriksen, one of the
game's oldest players at 34.

Although they finished runners-up on the day, the unseeded
Indonesians will be heartened by their showing at the event,
after joining forces once again following several difficult
years.

On their way to the final, the 1997 World Champions defeated
two seeded pairs and showed they will be contenders for the All
England -- the last title they won together in 2003 -- in March.

The two other Indonesian doubles teams -- defending champions
and top seeded Luluk Hadiyanto and Alven Yulianto and Markis
Kidho/Hendra Setiawan -- both lost in their opening matches.

Although they have played with different partners, Candra, 30,
and Sigit, 29, have enjoyed their greatest success together.

"We want to compete in many tournaments and will focus on the
All England and World Championships," Candra told The Jakarta
Post last year.

It was a day to celebrate for Denmark, who also took the men's
singles title, and the host team.

Top seeded Peter Gade of Denmark beat his compatriot, second-
seeded Kenneth Jonassen, 7-15, 15-4, 15-5 in the men's singles of
the US250,000 tournament.

In the women's singles, second-seeded South Korean Jun Jae-
Youn defeated third-seeded Hong Kong rival, Wang Chen, 11-7, 11-
8.

Lee Kyung-Won and Lee Hyo-Jung, fifth-seeded, won the women's
doubles after the seventh-seeded English duo of Gail Emms and
Donna Kellogg retired due to Kellogg's knee injury.

In the mixed doubles, the seventh-seeded South Korean pair of
Lee Jae-Jin and Lee Hyo-Jung outlasted the second-seeded Danish
duo of Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager 17-14, 15-9.