Xia, Chen set up all-Chinese final
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-04-03 22:41

Top-seeded Chinese Xia Xuanze overcame South Korean Park Sung Hwan in straight sets to reach the men's singles final at the South Korea Open badminton championships on Saturday, with compatriot Chen Hong also through.

Xia beat Park 15-9, 17-15 at semis, while second-ranked Chen, who had lost his top slot at the world rankings due to a right elbow injury sustained at the Denmark Open, earned a 15-8, 12-15, 15-8 win over fourth-ranked Malaysian Wong Choong Hann who lost to Xia Xuanze in last year's world championships.

It's the first final for Xia after he was crowned world champion last August. Troubled with a shoulder injury since last summer, Xia had been out of form at previous All-England Open and Switzerland event, knocked out at the second round.

In the women's play, Zhang Ning repeated the final at last year 's worlds, beating fellow Chinese Gong Ruina 11-7, 11-3 at the semi-finals, while Chen Qiqiu/Zhao Tingting, the only Chinese pair in mixed doubles' last four, failed to reach the final as beaten 0- 2 by South Korea's Kim Dong Moon/Ra Kyung-min.

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