masterbad

China's 17-year-old Gong Weijie shocked world number two Peter Gade with a straight-sets defeat at the China Open in badminton

The world's second-ranked badminton player, Peter Gade, was sent packing from the Grand Prix China Open, losing to 17-year-old Gong Weijie of China in two sets, 15-18, 15-11.

"Gong is fantastic, and he played really well today. I didn't know much about him, but I'm convinced now that we're seeing in him another tough opponent at future tournaments," Gade told reporters after the match.

"I did not expect to beat Gade. He's a world-famous veteran. This was my first time playing against him, but I just concentrated on the match," a jubilant Gong Weijie said after Thursday's triumphant win.

While Thursday's defeat was a major disappointment for Peter Gade, who's hungry for a tournament win, Kenneth Jonassen battled his way into the quarterfinals with a win over Hong Kong's NgWei, 15-10, 15-5. On Friday, Jonassen will meet ( et battra) 19-year-old unseeded player Li Yu of China.

Ladies' singles player Tine Rasmussen - who has emerged as one of the most promising young names in women's badminton after the retirement of Camilla Martin - showed her mettle on Thursday. Rasmussen, who is unseeded at the China Open but is ranked 16th in the world, defeated China's Li Wenyan in straight sets, 11-7, 11-9 to earn a berth in the tournament quarterfinals.

Dans la même partie de tableau, un autre jeune chinois CHEN Jin (18ans) sortait Xuanze XIA (n°3 mondial – Vainqueur au Danemark Open et au German). CHEN battera ensuite HARIYANTO Agus (IND) avant de subir la loi de BAO Chunlai (CHN).

La Chine prépare déjà les J.O.2008 (pour ceux qui en doutaient....)

Petite précision : ce "morveux de CHEN Jin est le Champion du Monde Juniors 2004 - et son comparse GONG Weijie le vice-champion du monde Juniors 2004