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1998 JVC Asian Badminton Champions
Once
again, the 1998 JVC Asian Badminton Championships featured
top competitors from the IBF rankings. This year’s event should
be no different as players will be looking to build up as
many qualifying points as possible for next year’s Olympic
games in Sydney.
Men’s
Singles
Chen Gang (China) vs Marleve Mainaky (Indonesia)
15-6; 15-9
In 1998 Chen Gang defeated Marleve Mainaky to claim his first
JVC ABC title. After his fellow Chinese countryman and defending
champion Sun Jun crashed out in the qualifying rounds, the
path was set for a new champion to be crowned. This year,
Gang has also been playing on the top of his game and could
repeat as JVC ABC champion. In the recent Japan Gang
lost in the Semi-finals and is currently ranked in the top
ten on the IBF world rankings. But he will have to compete
in Malaysia against a strong field of Malaysian, Indonesian
and Chinese men’s singles competitors—not an easy task!
Ladies’
Singles
Ye Zhaoying (China) vs Gong Zhichao (China)
11-5; 13-12
Ye Zhaoying has dominated the ladies singles category ever
since Susy Susanti’s retirement last year. Even prior to that,
Ye "owned" the JVC ABC in her ladies singles category. This
year, Ye is once again on the top of her game with recent
victories at the Japanand All England and is currently
ranked #3 in the world. She is certainly the lady to beat
this year and is the favorite to repeat as ladies singles
champion.
Men’s
Doubles
Kang
Kyung Jin/Ha Tae Kwon (Korea) vs Zhang Jun/Zhang Wei (China)
17-15; 9-15; 15-12
The 1998 JVC ABC was the pinnacle of an up and down year for
Kang and Ha of Korea. This was their only championship of
the year in a category traditionally dominated by Indonesian
and Malaysian teams. Even within Korea, Kang and Ha have played
second fiddle to Yoo Yung Sung and Lee Dong Soo in recent
years. They will be hard-pressed to repeat as champions in
K.L. this year.
Women’s
Doubles
Ge Fei/Gu Jun (China) vs Qin Yiyuan/Tang Hetian (China)
15-8; 15-7
Ge Fei and Gu Jun have been nearly invincible in ladies doubles
since they were paired on a permanent basis in 1996. At the
1998 JVC ABC they swept through the tournament without losing
a set! By far they are the #1 ladies doubles team in the world
and have only lost once in the last 3 years. They have won
the JVC ABC three times and Ge Fei has also won the mixed
doubles title. As long as this pair is together and compete
at the JVC ABC, they will be the team to beat.
Mixed
Doubles
Kim Dong Moon/Ra Kyung Min (Korea) vs Sun Jun/Ge Fei
(China)
15-7; 15-8
Kim and Ra from Korea have had tremendous success in the mixed
doubles field throughout the past few years. Unfortunately,
they don’t play together on a permanent basis. After their
defeat of Bambang/Zelin of Indonesia in the Semi-Finals, they
easilly defeated the Chinese pair of Sun Jun (replacement
for Liu Yong) and Ge Fei. Let’s see if this pair comes together
again in 1999 to try and repeat as JVC ABC Champions.
Released on behalf of JVC Asian Badminton
Championships 1999 by International Management Group (IMG),
Malaysia. April 15, 1999
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