World number ones Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang of China got their Olympic preparations off to a positive start with victories in the men's and women's singles finals at the Thailand Open on Sunday.
Winner of back to back world titles in 2006 and 2007, Lin put in a solid performance in his final outing before the Beijing Games and showed his class to come from behind and beat the determined Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 17-21 21-15 21-13.
Xie, also a double world champion, took just 37 minutes to see off compatriot Lu Lan 26-24 21-7 and take her second title of the year. Lifted by a near-capacity home crowd, Boonsak had the best of a close first game, edging ahead of a sluggish Lin at 18-17 before sealing the win with a showmanlike flick from behind his back.
Lin, who failed to make an impact at the Athens Olympics, came out fighting to take the next two games, varying his play with delicate flicks and potent returns which had Boonsak darting around the court. The Thai struggled to cope as the fitter, stronger Lin opened up sizeable leads to take the last two games with six and eight-point cushions.
CONFIDENCE BOOSTER:
"He was tough, difficult to beat," Lin told reporters. "This win was very important for me, it's a good way to start and it's good for my confidence. I feel great now." Lin's long-time girlfriend Xie battled against the breeze of Bangkok's Nimibutr Gymnasium and had to reach 26 points before she wrapped up the first game.
With the wind on her side, the towering Chinese gave Lu no chance and zipped through the second game to clinch victory. "I struggled with the first game, the air conditioning was a problem for me and it was hard to control," Xie told Reuters.