Couple on Opposite Sides of Net in Badminton Final

John Britton’s loss in the mixed doubles final Sunday at the U.S. Open Badminton Championships made his wife, Traci, happy.

That’s because Traci teamed with Tariq Wadood to beat John, who was teamed with Yelena Rybkina of the Soviet Union, 12-15, 15-9, 15-9 for the championship at UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

Not only did John Britton lose the tournament title, he might also lose his home-cooked meals.

After John hit an overhead smash for a winner right at Traci’s feet, Wadood quipped, “Guess there’s no dinner for him for two nights.”

The Brittons, residents of Manhattan Beach and members of the nation’s only all-badminton club, originally played doubles together and earned the No. 1 ranking in the United States.

“But we started bringing the losses home with us,” John said, “and that made for a nasty breakfast, lunch, and even dinner sometimes.”

John Britton originally came to the United States from Scotland to play professional soccer for the now-defunct Los Angeles Aztecs and Los Angeles Heat.

He grew up playing badminton in Europe, where the game is more popular--and profitable.

Total prize money for the U.S. Open was $15,000, with Traci Britton and Wadood, of Redondo Beach, earning $300 each for their victory.

Men’s singles champ Fung Permadi won $975 in a tournament that drew 4,004 fans for the week.

Permadi, the top-seeded player, is ranked 12th in the world. He beat Bambang Suprianto of Indonesia, 15-10, 15-8, for the men’s singles championship.

In men’s doubles, Shin Ming Ger and Shyn Jeng Yang of Taiwan beat Canadians Mike Bitten and Bryan Blanshard 15-11, 17-15.

Canada’s Denyse Julien, one of the top 10 women’s players in the world and the No. 1-seeded player at the Open, won the women’s singles with a 7-11, 11-2, 11-8, victory over Rybkina.

Julien teamed with fellow Canadian Doris Piche to capture the women’s doubles title by defeating Rybkina and the Soviet Union’s Vlada Chernewskaya 18-13, 17-15.