In singles, Lin Dan and Lu Lan climbed onto the top step of the podium while compatriots Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen were given a scare by Koreans Lee and Lee in the women’s doubles. On the other hand, He Hanbin and Yu Yang won their first Super Series title in mixed doubles.

He Hanbin and Yu Yang are certainly a pair to watch in the future. Their win in Saturday’s semi-finals might not have been the most convincing one, but in the final, they proved that they could beat any pair in the world.

Indeed, the Chinese started strong against the English pair of Nathan Roberston and Gail Emms and snatched the first game 21-17. In the second game, the English used basic mixed doubles strategy to its fullest by allowing Robertson to power from the back for her partner to finish at the net.

However, that system felt short in the deciding game when Yu’s defence became more successful than Robertson’s attack. The English got a few points behind from the early start and were never able to recover to lose the match 21-17, 19-21, 21-17.

A lot of things have changed since Bao Chunlai beat Lin Dan 7-5, 7-1, 7-0 at the 2001 edition of this tournament. This time, Lin Dan didn’t have to do much to dominate compatriot Bao.

The latter often got caught deep in his backhand and his fate became obvious when he became impatient. Lin easily stamped his authority to climb onto the top step of the podium. His 21-15, 21-12 win earned him a check of US$16,000, the highest prize money offered at this tournament.