Badminton: New Zealand pair suffer from bad draw

Another tough draw in the Korean Open has counted against New Zealand mixed doubles badminton pair Dan Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen.

They were beaten by the fourth seeds Chen and Zao of China 15-5 2-15 13-15.

It gets no easier in next week's Japan Open, where Shirley and Runesten Petersen have drawn a Danish pair currently ranked seventh in the world.

The New Zealanders' run of bad draws is making the Oceania Championships all the more important as they seek sufficient world ranking points to qualify for the Athens Olympic Games.

It is likely Shirley and Runesten Petersen will need to make the final at the Oceania event in Auckland from April 20-25 if they are to qualify for Athens.

- NZPA