Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 20, 2002
Chinese Women Shine at China Open Badminton Championships
Chinese female shuttlers stamped out their dominance in badminton as they took half of the berths in the singles' quarter finals at the China Open Guangzhou on Thursday.
Chinese female shuttlers stamped out their dominance in badminton as they took half of the berths in the singles' quarter finals at the China Open Guangzhou on Thursday.
Top seed Gong Ruina overcame the shock of losing first set to beat Singapore's Xiao Luxi 8-11, 11-8, 11-5.
Gong, runner-up of the 2001 China Open and the 2001 world champion, faces Japanese Kanako Yonekura, a 11-4, 0-11, 11-3 winner over China's Li Wenyan, in Friday's quarterfinals.
Second seed Zhang Ning of China, following a lackluster first set, rallied to beat compatriot Jiang Yanjiao 6-11, 13-12, 11-0 to set up a clash against Dai Yun, also from China.
Dai, runner up of the 1997 China Open, advanced with a 11-0, 11-8 victory over Li Hui.
Xie Xinfang, the joint third seed of the tournament, brushed aside teammate Yu Jin 5-11, 11-4, 11-6 to become the fourth Chinese in the quarterfinals where she will play Karina De Wit of the Netherlands.
Wit went through after seeing off England's Tracey Hallam 11-3,8-11, 11-3.
Dutch top player Mia Audina Tjiptawan, a former Indonesian who won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic, reached the top eight by routing China's Zhu Lin 11-4, 11-3.
On Friday, Tjiptawan will take on Singapore's Li Li who downed Julia Mann of England 11-4, 11-1.