The opener of the Beijing Olympic badminton competition is a surprisingly tough match, in which Maria Yulianti from Indonesia defeated Juliane Schenk from Germany after a 65-minute game in Beijing on Saturday.

Schenk, currently ranked No13 on women's singles' list, won the first set 21-18, while Yulianti staged an easy revenge in the second set at a score of 21-13.

In the third set, Schenk missed one match point while leading Juliane at 20-19, and finally lost the first-round match at 20-22.

"I tried everything and it was very close, this was a very important game for me," said the German girl who had won a bronze medal at European championships. "Of course I am disappointed but that is how it goes."

The upset 25-year-old, however, expressed her wish to continue her career. "I planned to play at London Games," she said.

Yulianti, who downed defending Olympic champion Zhang Ning in the semi-final of Indonesia Super Series last June, is expected to meet Danish Tine Rasmussen in the third round, European hopeful at the tournament.

The Indonesian who injured her thigh recently said after the match that she had fully recovered. "It is not a problem anymore."

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)