Report and pictures by Raphael Sachetat

Tang Chunyu had given a demonstration of her talent in 1999''s edition of the Germanwhere no one expected her to win. Apparently, the trick seems to be enjoyed by the Chinese delegation which has sent another set of very talented players. After she had beaten first seed Andrievskaya in the previous round, Dong Fang (pictured) got rid of Brenda Beenhakker in the centre court of Rhein Ruhr Halle. Her quick moves and deception shots were too fast for the Dutch girl. In no time, Dong had played a demonstration of badminton to win 11/3 - 11/3.

In the other semi-final, Hu Ting of China had a little more opposition. That was the least expected source; Elena Nozdran, second seed and known to be a fighting player. Yet the pace set by the Chinese girl was too quick and it took one full game for Nozdran to get warmed up. In the second game, the Ukrainian had many opportunities to get even, leading 10/3. But Hu Ting fought every single point, running back and forth like it was a shadow routine, putting the shuttle wherever she wanted it to go with extreme precision.

Eager to finish up, Nozdran then made some unforced errors, including an easy smash into the net on a game point. Patience should have been the key word once Hu had levelled up to 10 all, but instead of setting to thirteen, Nozdran chose to set to one point. A few seconds later, it was all over. China''s flag will rise on the women''s draw, no matter what.

In the men''s event, Chen Yu will not repeat Xia Xuanxe''s success of last year, as the young Chinese player had to bow out to Ukrainian Vladislav Druzchenko (pictured). Chen gave it his all in the first game, leading 14/13, but Druzchenko''s experience paid off. "I knew I had to make him run because he had played so many matches to get to this stage. And I also avoided bringing him to the net, because of his quickness" said the third seed. With fast clears and good attacks, Druzchenko took control of the game and won 17/14 in the first game. The Chinese probably realised that he couldn''t do much more because he was so tired, and he tried to be more aggressive in the next game. But Druzchenko took his time and eventually won the second game 15/4. However, it is easy to bet that Chen who is full of talent will be among the top players fairly soon.

It was Oliver Pongratz who the Duisburg public expected most of. Unfortunately, the number one German player found Hariyanto in his path, and needless to say the talented 24 year old player from Hong Kong had other ideas in mind. After a round of observation, Haryianto started to anticipate Pongratz''s net shots and scored key points with net kills. A disoriented Pongratz tried to change tactics, but Hariyanto played very cleverly. "We had drawn a tactic with my coach and I kept it the whole time. All I had to do then was to keep my mind on the game" said Hariyanto. In front of a big crowd and the National TV, Pongratz lost 9/15 - 11/15.

Jonas Rasmussen was the man of the day in the doubles semi-finals. With his partner Michael Lamp he beat compatriots Roos/Fischer Nielsen in two straight games, 15/8 - 15/2. Showing that he could defend in any position (including with a shot between his legs), the Dane proved to be even more efficient while attacking the net. Lamp just had to adjust smart smashes to finish up one point after the other. In the final, they will play against training partners Michael Sogaard and Jim Laugesen, who had to go to a three gamer (the only one in all the semi-finals) to beat Sullivan/Clark from England. "We know this is going to be tough as they have beaten us in the Danish National Championship, but we''ll do our best" said Rasmussen.

The blond Dane will also play the mixed doubles final with Jane Bramsen after a surprisingly easy victory over second seeds Japanese Kubota and Matsuda. In few minutes, the Danish pair won 15/2 - 15/2, with a very offensive game. They will meet the experienced English team Sullivan/Emms. In the women''s doubles, a Chinese pair composed of Lu and Huang advanced to the final, beating Malaysian Chor/Ang easily. They will play for the title against World number 13 Iwata and Matsuda from Japan, who are also looking quite strong.

Results of the day:

Men Singles:
Agus Haryanto (HKG) b Oliver Pongratz (GER) : 15/9 - 15/11
Vladislav Druzchenko (UKR) b Chen Yu (CHN) : 17/14 - 15/4

Ladies Singles:
Dong Fang (CHN) b Brenda Beenhakker (NED) : 11/3 - 11/3
Hu Ting (CHN) b Elena Nozdran (UKR) : 11/3 - 11/10

Men Doubles:
Lamp/Rasmussen (DEN) b Roos/Nielsen (DEN) : 15/8 - 15/2
Sogaard/Laugesen (DEN) b Sullivan/Clark (ENG) : 11/15 - 15/7 - 15/4

Ladies Doubles:
Matsuda/Iwata (JAP) b Sietz/Michalowsky (GER) : 15/8 - 15/5
Lu/Huang (CHN) b Chor/Ang (MAL) : 15/7 - 15/3

Mixed Doubles :
Sullivan/Emms (ENG) b Boe/Andersen (DEN): 15/6 - 15/10
Rasmussen/Bramsen (DEN) b Kubota/Matsuda (JPN): 15/2 - 15/2